


no matter what i do (all roads lead to you)

by HamstersAndLunchboxes



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Beronica is my dreamboat ship, Bisexual Veronica Lodge, F/F, It'll get better, Veronica highkey starts out awful, and the Riverdale Squad will be featured sometimes, because anyone with eyes can see it, happy ending for these two Gays™ 2017, i got tag happy, i just need my babies to be Gay™ and happy asap, i probably should have tagged less characters, my b, no one asked for this, supremely annoyed Kevin Keller, this is mostly B&V centric with a lotta Kevin, this is my first ever fic on this site, unsuspecting lesbian Betty Cooper, we need more quality Gay™ between these two
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2019-01-11 00:13:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 20,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12310815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HamstersAndLunchboxes/pseuds/HamstersAndLunchboxes
Summary: NYU was supposed to be a complete dream for Betty Cooper. Away from her family and the stereotypes, a break from it all. However, when she's stuck with a roommate who looks (and acts) like Veronica Lodge for at least an entire semester, Betty thinks she might have bit off more than she can chew.Meanwhile, Kevin Keller seriously wishes he could unsubscribe from the heteronormative nonsense that's going on in his best friend's head.(Betty has *no* idea what he's talking about.)





	1. The Roommate Debacle

**Author's Note:**

> So, I write under the same moniker over on ff.net, and I strictly write OCs, and this goes against everything I've ever done. This is probably one of the few ships I actually love, and of course, it's not canon. And Bughead shippers have made it their destiny to knock us off the map. So I, determinedly, in the godforsaken hours of the early am, wrote this. And edited it the following morning. And I feel like throwing it to the wolves, because Beronica content is sparse and I need more. 
> 
> So, this is supposed to be a multific, obviously, but updates will most likely be hella slow. I try, I really do, but I've been fighting writer's block for ages, so hopefully this makes it go away.
> 
> If y'all need to contact me, you can do so at ff.net, and I'm also in the process of setting up a noob-Tumblr. It's...it's a heckin' process.
> 
> ANYWAY PLEASE ENJOY THIS, FELLOW BERONICA TRASH!
> 
> (Also, a sidenote, I know Jason and Cheryl are supposed to be older (and I think the Pussycats are too) like Polly's age, but for the sake of this fic, they're the same age as the core four. It's called AU for a reason.)
> 
> (Another side note, title is from the song Roads by Lawson.)

 

_***_

 

_Betty_

 

NYU was supposed to be a complete dream for Betty. She’d always wanted to go to New York City and to study journalism, so when she’d gotten a full ride, the answer was a no-brainer. Even so, Betty loved Riverdale. Everyone did. It was a nice little town, and Betty wouldn’t change her upbringing there for the world. But it was no secret that things had gone downhill for the Cooper family (read: Betty) after Polly left.

Betty didn’t blame Polly at all for her decision. She’d tried to get her sister to stay, but there was no chance. Her and her fiance, Jason Blossom, had run away into the sunset together the moment they had found out Polly was pregnant. That wasn’t exactly a shock either. Betty’s parents both nearly keeled over dead at the news. Polly’s relationship with Jason had been a secret. It obviously couldn’t be once Polly was pregnant. And then Jason had _proposed_ , making things worse. Or maybe not worse. Betty wasn’t really sure how it could have gotten much worse.

Once Polly was gone, Alice and Hal Cooper started cracking the whip. That wasn’t to say they hadn’t been cracking the whip beforehand, but they both came down on Betty like a windstorm.

Betty had always been used to high expectations. She supposed that came with the ground of being Riverdale’s very own American Girl Doll transformed into a living, breathing human being. She had lived there her entire life. It was kind of fitting for her, too. Typical girl-next-door type living in your typical suburban neighborhood in your typical small conservative town. She was the epitome of the ‘all-American’ stereotype. Tight blonde ponytail, sparkling green eyes, pink lips, dressed in pastel cardigans, turtlenecks, jeans, and Chuck Taylors all days of the week.

The Coopers tried very hard to keep the stereotype going (read: Alice), and after Polly left, things only went downhill. Picture perfection was the ultimate goal to Alice, and she seemed dead set on achieving it. Alice starting paying closer attention to Betty’s grades, which was saying something considering she had checked them every day before. She made sure to get Betty’s adderall prescription filled regularly. She pushed Betty to be the best Betty could be to _her_ standards, not to Betty’s own. _Colleges look at these kinds of things, Betty, your record has to be perfect_. Betty hated the word perfect. It was a miserable reminder of something she’d never be able to achieve, but forever would be striving towards (even though she knew it wasn’t possible). But that didn’t stop Alice from trying to make it happen.

And according to picture perfect families and stereotypes, the all-American girl always had her all-American boy, right? Enter Archie Andrews.

Archie Andrews was Betty Cooper’s best friend since they were kids. Before kindergarten, actually. Football star, adorable smile, polite and funny. They were neighbors and nearly inseparable as children. Them, and Jughead Jones, who had sort of melted out of the picture due to a falling out between his dad and Archie’s. From thence, it was basically set in stone that Betty Cooper and Archie Andrews were destined to fall in love. Alice Cooper didn’t like Archie, something about him being too much like Jason Blossom, but hey, fate was fate.

I know, I know, woah there, Narrator, back the hell up. But it’s true. Conservative small town stereotypes and all that. Archie was the boy to Betty’s girl-next-door. He was the yin to her yang, the black to her white, the salt to her pepper. Cheesy early 2000s soulmate comparisons aside, the two were all but engaged already. They were a terrible romance novella waiting to happen. Practically everyone in Riverdale was holding their breath, waiting for Archie and Betty to realize that they were absolutely perfect for each other.

And Betty had. She’d fallen for Archie, and she’d fallen hard. All throughout high school with backup in the form of her best friend, Kevin Keller, Betty tried to get Archie to notice her. To see her as something more than a friend. That hadn’t happened, of course. Betty wouldn’t, _couldn’t_ , make the first move, and Archie never did. Rather, the ginger stallion bounced from River Vixen to River Vixen trying to find his match to no avail. The longest relationship he’d managed had been with Cheryl Blossom in their senior year, which had nearly torn Archie and Betty apart for good. Archie ended things after Cheryl began to show her true colors, much to Betty’s approval, but it still took a long time for their friendship to repair itself, which brought them all the way to graduation, and it still wasn’t how it used to be. Betty wasn’t sure if it would ever be again.

So Betty had failed. Failed to keep her sister home. Failed to be perfect. Failed to win Archie Andrews’ heart like everyone thought she would. And she was certain she’d fail to get into NYU.

And then she hadn’t. Alice Cooper’s constant nagging had kept Betty’s grades at their peak. Her involvement in the _Blue & Gold _, Riverdale High School’s newspaper, had gotten recognition. Even being the secretary for the student body had an impact. NYU had offered Betty a full ride, and it was a dream come true. It was her way out.

Alice Cooper, of course, was less than thrilled. She had completely intended for Betty to commute to a small community college in Greendale and stay at home and fulfill the picture perfect family that Alice desired. Betty going to college in New York City was a wrench in her plans. At least, Alice _thought_ it was a wrench. Rather, it completely pulled the rug out from under her. Betty had finally stood up to Alice, committing to NYU. The outcome was almost nuclear and resulted in Betty staying with Kevin for most of the summer. Kevin, who was also going to NYU for forensic science.

As it turned out, NYU was the ultimate college dream for a lot of Betty’s class. Archie had gotten a football scholarship. He was pursuing engineering on his father’s wishes, but minoring in music, which was a passion of his. Josie was, of course, going for music, as well as the other two Pussycats. Cheryl was going for graphic design, and Betty was praying to the Lord above that the two would be nowhere near each other on campus. Jughead was going for journalism too, with a computer science minor. The two had worked together a lot for the _Blue & Gold _ , but nothing beyond professionalism. While Riverdale’s own teenage outcast was a looker, he was by all means a recluse – and asexual. He’d confided this to Betty early on in their partnership through the _Blue & Gold _, as if he was afraid Betty would jump his bones or something. Betty, to her credit, only said, “Okay,” and continued discussing the percentage of teens who go to the Bijou over the drive-in.

That meant Betty would be close to her two best friends, her colleague, three acquaintances, and her worst enemy. She supposed the good outweighed the bad, in the end.

Which brings us to the beginning of our journey. Summer was rapidly coming to a close, with only three weeks left. Two weeks until move-in day and welcome week. And a mere ten minutes until roommates were posted.

There were only a few things NYU barred to freshman. One being cars. And two being the freedom to pick their roommates. Which meant a lot of anxiety for Betty and Kevin and the rest of the teens attending NYU in the fall.

“What if she’s mean?” Betty was pacing back and forth in Kevin’s room, wringing her hands. She hadn’t stopped moving since the clock hit 11:50pm. Postings would be at midnight. She was a mess. Her neat ponytail was messy and her flannel nightshirt was buttoned, but she’d missed one, resulting in the collar on the left side being slightly higher than the right. She was sure she was going to start hyperventilating any second.

Kevin was predictably calmer than his counterpart. He was lying on his back on his bed, looking at Betty upside down. “But what if she’s _not_ , Betts? You’re freaking out for no reason.”

“What if she doesn’t like me though?”

Kevin huffed in annoyance and flipped around so he wasn’t upside down. Betty, who was now chewing on her fingernails, was watching her best friend with rapt attention. He was perfectly calm. How was he so freaking calm?!

“Betty, honey, what’s not to like? You’re an A student, you’re a sweetheart, you’re totally Betty Draper, season one, no matter what Cheryl says,” he said.

Before he could continue, Betty let out a groan and rubbed her temples. _Cheryl_. She’d forgotten Cheryl was going to NYU too. Which meant…”Oh my god, Kevin, what if I’m rooming with Cheryl?”

“Betty, relax! You’re going to be fine! Out of the thousands of freshman going to NYU this year, I highly doubt you’ll be stuck with Cheryl Blossom.”

“She’s the worst, Kevin! God, how could I even survive that?”

“She truly is the antichrist,” Kevin replied solemnly. “11:57.”

“You’re _not_ easing my nerves at all.”

“Just trying to help, babe.”

Kevin grinned, and Betty made a face at him. They would be living with their roommates, respectively, for the next year at the very least. Their entire freshman year rode on the backs of two unnamed people and whether or not they’d be able to get along for eight months. And Kevin was acting like it was no big deal. More power to him, Betty supposed.

“11:58.”

“ _Kevin!_ ”

Betty finally sat down on the edge of Kevin’s bed, rubbing her palms anxiously on her thighs. They were warm and sweaty and gross and Betty wasn’t happy about it. In fact, she wasn’t at all happy with her current predicament.

She knew her chance of getting paired with Cheryl was minute. It was so, _so_ tiny. But it was her worst fear. Cheryl had bullied Betty since grade school. It only got worse when her twin and ‘soulmate’ (in Cheryl’s eyes), Jason, had run away with Polly. Cheryl blamed the Coopers for the absence of her constant companion. And since Cheryl couldn’t bully Alice or Hal or Polly, Betty had become her number one target. It was like she’d had a bullseye on her back since the first day of sophomore and stayed like that up to graduation. Betty was confident it wouldn’t stop either. Cheryl would _always_ be out to get Betty, as long as Betty was within reach.

Which meant Betty had to do everything in her power to avoid Cheryl.

Which would be really freaking hard if they were roommates.

“11:59.”

Betty didn’t even indulge Kevin that time. She merely clenched her fists tightly and took a deep breath. The pressure on the skin of his palms built and built until she forced herself to stop. She wasn’t going to do that anymore, she’d promised herself. Looking at her palms, though, she found she was disappointed. She hadn’t broken skin, but she’d managed to pop a couple blood vessels, bruising her palms. She’d work on that when she _wasn’t_ stressed out of her mind, she decided.

It was going to be okay. Everything would okay, just like Kevin said. There was no way she’d get paired with Cheryl, right? And it wasn’t like anyone could possibly be worse than Cheryl. There was no chance of that. Cheryl was rock bottom. Nothing could be worse than Satan’s daughter herself.

“They’re up!”

Betty lunged for her phone and refreshed the Safari tab while Kevin read off his roommate.

“Joaquin DeSantos. Criminology major from…” Betty briefly looked up from her own cellular device to see Kevin’s eyebrows shoot up. “…Riverdale’s South Side? How does someone from the South Side get money to go to NYU?” His nose scrunched up.

Though Betty’s browser was loading and her blood was pounding, she was still able to snort. “It’s the South Side, Kev. You’re the sheriff’s son. _Think_ about it.”

Kevin frowned and let out a breath through clenched teeth. “Papa Keller isn’t gonna be thrilled. Criminology my _ass_.”

Just then, Betty’s Safari loaded. “Veronica Lodge,” she read. “Pre-med student. From…well, she’s from New York, and––”

When Betty looked at Kevin, her best friend’s jaw had dropped. He was staring at her like she’d fallen from the sky. “What?”

“You don’t know who that is?”

“What?”

“Veronica Lodge. You don’t know who that is?”

Betty scrunched her nose up. “Should I?”

Kevin smile was chesire. “Oh, honey. You’re in for a treat.”

 

_***_

 

_Veronica_

 

Veronica Lodge was furious. No, scratch that. Veronica Lodge was livid. Veronica Lodge was vehement, irate, outraged, offended, and so very, _very_ annoyed. How dare they…? She was a _Lodge_ , and they would taste her wrath. _No one_ crossed a Lodge, and Veronica wasn’t going to let this be the first time.

“ _MAMI! PAPI!_ ”

Her voice rang throughout the penthouse suite. It was 12:02, just past midnight. She was certain her parents would be asleep, though not for much longer. This was an outrage. This…this was a travesty.

“ _MAMI! PAPI_ ––”

The door to the master bedroom swung open, and the two grown Lodges appeared in the frame. They were both disheveled, but still managed to look good in their silk pajamas. Both of them were careful to mask their annoyance, as they were at the risk of facing their daughter’s anger, and they preferred it be directed at anyone but them.

“What is it, _mija_?” asked Hermione tiredly as she rubbed her eyes.

“NYU,” she said tersely. “They put me with _a roommate_.” Veronica was positively seething. She was a picture of ice, of subzero temperatures, not a hair displaced, not a flaw in her appearance, except for the twisted scowl that marred her features.

Hiram blinked and looked at his wife briefly before clearing his throat. “I thought we paid extra for you to have your own dorm? Hermione?”

Hermione was stone-faced, which only led Veronica to believe one thing: her mom had known. The woman crossed her arms and leaned against the doorjamb. “NYU sent me an e-mail last week saying that freshmen had to stay with a roommate for at least a single semester. They sent you one too, if you ever cared to check it. I told them it wouldn’t be an issue. You can make it a semester, can’t you?”

“What _part_ did you think wouldn’t be an issue, _Mami_?” Veronica hissed. “The fact that I need to share an underwhelming fifteen-by-fifteen dormitory room with someone else, or that I have to co-exist with an unnamed misfit from…” Veronica checked her phone and wrinkled her nose. “Riverdale. What the hell is a Riverdale? Where is that? Does the population consist of anyone who isn’t over the age of sixty-five?”

Hermione, now, was frowning. “What’s her name?”

Veronica’s scowl turned darker. “Elizabeth Cooper. A journalism major.” She sneered. “Journalism, what a joke. And Elizabeth Cooper.” Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “A bland name to fit a bland personality, I’m sure. Oh, the horror.”

“Be careful around that one, _mija_ ,” warned Hermione. She looked as if she wanted to say something else, but thought better of it.

“Riverdale!” Hiram suddenly said, like someone had flicked a switch in his brain.

“Yes, _papi_ , welcome to the conversation,” said Veronica dryly.

Hiram, to his credit, ignored his daughter. “You grew up there, didn’t you?”

Veronica looked at her mother in disbelief. Hermione’s face was still neutral, but it was too stoic. Like she was trying much too hard to school her features.

“I did grow up there. It’s a nice little town. Probably hasn’t changed much. Though, if your roommate is who I think she is, I sincerely hope she’s nothing like her mother.”

“So I’m going to hate her even more than I already do?”

Hermione sighed. “Ronnie, just try it, okay? It’s only for a semester and if you two are complete opposites, Hiram and I will do everything we can to get you your own dorm after winter break, won’t we?”

Hiram nodded solemnly. “Try to not worry about it, _mija_. It’s your first year of college. The next four years should be the best of your life! We’re sorry we can’t do more, dear, but the college has rules. It’ll be fine, though, you’ll see.”

With that, the Lodges murmured a quiet goodnight to their incredulous daughter and went to sleep, shutting the door in Veronica’s face.

The Latina stood there, fuming, not quite believing what had just happened. Her parents were going to make her suffer through a semester with some faceless Jane Doe who would, no doubt, be an absolute bore. Her name was _Elizabeth Cooper_ . It was the twenty-first century, who named their child _Elizabeth_? She probably wouldn’t be able to tell the difference between a Louboutin and a Louis Vuitton. The thought made her cringe. She shot off an irked Tweet to let all of her followers know she was disgusted with NYU’s roommate policy for freshmen and went back to her bedroom, flopping down on the mattress.

NYU was supposed to be a dream for Veronica Lodge. Now, it seemed to be turning into a nightmare.

 

_***_

 

_Betty_

 

“Oh, look, she already tweeted about you,” said Kevin flippantly.

Betty was staring at her (Kevin’s) computer screen, doing all the research she could on Veronica Lodge. And she was absolutely horrified. She was absolutely drop dead gorgeous. And utterly terrifying. So when Kevin said that, Betty nearly shot out of her seat to reach his side. “What’dshesay?!”

“Well, not _you_ you, but more NYU’s freshman policy on roommates.”

“And?!”

“Well, ever so eloquently, it says ‘fuck NYU’s freshman roommate policy’.”

Betty frowned. “She doesn’t even know me yet!” And then, “I would think she’d be more well spoken than that.”

“She doesn’t have to be, Betts. She’s rich, she’s gorgeous, she’s a New York teenage socialite.You’re lucky everyone likes you, Betty. You’re probably the only person who stands a chance against Ms. Lodge.”

Betty didn’t like the sound of that at all.


	2. The Moving-In Debacle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Kevin move in and meet their supremely hot roommates. Lucky them, right?
> 
> (PS, Betty says Veronica's attractive from a merely objective standpoint.)
> 
> (PPS, Kevin thinks that's bullshit.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ummm, I know I said updates would be slow, but like, my Writer's Block is sorta...fading...? I don't wanna say that because I don't wanna jinx it, but I was able to sit down tonight and crack this out! I'm so proud! Also, golly gosh, I just love Beronica. Also, I got my Tumblr set up. Nothing is changed from the base template the website gives me, but the tag is theocarchitect still, so there's that. You can direct questions or suggestions to me there, or in the comment section, I don't care.
> 
> NOW GO ENJOY THIS, YOU GAYS!

 

_ *** _

 

_ Betty _

 

Betty would be the first to admit that she did not do as much research on Veronica Lodge as she would have liked. It wasn’t for any specific reason. (Okay, so _maybe_ it was because she was absolutely terrifying to behold and the sheer realization of rooming with her was even more so.) But, after that first night, Betty let it go. She was rooming with Veronica Lodge and there was nothing she could do about it. There was no point in psyching herself out, right?

Wrong.

Her last two weeks in Riverdale passed in a flash. Welcome week was upon her. And Betty was nowhere near prepared. Well, in a mental sense. Veronica Lodge still terrified her. Physically, though, she’d been packed for the entire week, and Sheriff Keller loaded her things into the back of his truck with Kevin’s. Kevin, who however, had never been more excited. He didn’t shut up the entire ride to NYU.

“I hope he’s cute.” “Do you think he’s gay?” “The name ‘Joaquin’ just seems so sexy and mysterious, don’t you think?” “I’d kill for a hot Spanish dude.”

Betty, to her credit, managed to put up with Kevin’s ramblings so Sheriff Keller wouldn’t have to. She was sweet like that. 

After a long, painful ride, the trio finally arrived. Once again, NYU’s campus took Betty’s breath away.

She and Kevin had come on a tour midsummer. If Betty hadn’t been sold before the tour, she definitely had been after that. The architecture was breathtaking, with hints of the Greek and Roman periods, as well as Victorian and modern day structures. The tour guide had been nice and bubbly, and Betty found that lots of the students at NYU were too. Even the teachers seemed excited to be there (or at least, they didn’t seem completely unenthusiastic. Yet). The food was magnificent, from the student cafeteria to the hot dog carts on the streets. The tour guide talked about a nice little gelato spot and the Magnolia Bakery, which had the best of the best cupcakes. She would have to go there, she decided, and Kevin was in complete agreement.

The campus hadn’t changed a bit. It was a beautiful day in August. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping, and she was in the Big Apple. The entire scene was something out of a movie. Betty was going to be living in New York City. It was crazy to even imagine, and yet, here she was. It was a dream come true. 

“I am never leaving,” Kevin declared once Sheriff Keller pulled the truck to stop.

“What, you won’t come back to visit your dad?” Sheriff Keller asked with a grin as he got out of the truck.

“Nope,” Kevin said. “You’ll have to come see me and my rich boyfriend in our fancy penthouse apartment.”

“Just don’t jump the gun on the dating thing, alright, Kev? Make sure you know a lot about these boys. New York City is a lot different than Riverdale.”

“Please, Dad. Homosexual hookup culture is so 2012. I’ll be careful.”

“And about your roommate…”

“I’m sure he’s fine, Dad. No stereotyping, remember? I’ll be fine.” 

“I know you will, son,” he replied, even though he still didn’t look completely convinced. As Sheriff Keller and Kevin unloaded the back of the truck, the former looked at Betty. “What do you think, Betts? Will you come back to visit me?”

Betty smiled as she put her phone in her back pocket and wrapped up her headphones. “Of course I’ll come visit.” Sheriff Keller had been Betty’s saving grace. After the fallout with Alice, Kevin was the first person she called. Within ten minutes, Sheriff Keller was there with his pickup truck, helping Betty pack her things. He’d opened his home to her with welcome arms. “I’ve always wanted a daughter,” he’d joked. “Kevin’s gay, but he’s still a young man. That just means I still have to worry about hormonal teenage boys and their less than pleasant intentions, and his less than pleasant intentions.” Betty had laughed and thanked the older gentleman. She didn’t think she’d ever be done thanking Sheriff Keller for saving her from Alice Cooper’s clutches. Finally, Betty Cooper was able to be herself. She was safe and comfortable, and her mom couldn’t yell at her for wearing Kevin’s old flannel shirts and jeans with holes in them and dirty Converse. She could be herself without Alice chiding her about how she was too much of a tomboy. She could even pursue her hobby of fixing up cars with Sheriff Keller, as he had a couple of old junkers sitting around, waiting to be worked on.

“At least Betty loves me,” Sheriff Keller claimed, and Kevin rolled his eyes.

After the truck was unloaded, Sheriff Keller escorted the two to their building. They were both in Founders Hall, the newest residence building for first year students. The interior was breathtaking. There were two TV lounges and a study lounge with computers that Betty was certain would come in handy since she was also certain that Veronica might be a rather distracting roommate. (And, no, not because she was pretty. Okay, so she was gorgeous. Okay, so maybe she was an absolute jaw-dropper. But not because of that! Because she sorta gave off that distracting vibe…you feel?) The large outdoor courtyard was gorgeous as well. Betty had a certain appreciation for nature in the city. Like a rose amongst thorns, almost. 

Founders Hall was in Union Square and had twenty-six floors. Kevin was on the thirteenth, and Betty the twenty-fifth. 

“So, uh, when I visit…”

“You’re walking, Keller.”

“Oh-kay.”

And that had been the end of that discussion.

They saw a few familiar faces in their residence hall. Jughead and Archie, had somehow against all odds, been paired as roommates. Archie was absolutely thrilled to be rooming with someone he was familiar with. Jughead was less than pleased, given the ‘please help me’ look he shot Betty as they walked past. Valerie Brown, one of the Pussycats, was on Kevin’s floor. Thankfully, there wasn’t a single Cheryl Blossom in sight. (Thankfully, there wasn’t a single raven-haired teenage socialite in sight, either, even though her appearance was inevitable.)

The three unpacked and set up Betty’s room first. It was a two person studio, with a bathroom. It wasn’t spacious, as she hadn’t expected it to be, and the idea of rooming with someone as ‘upper class’ as Veronica wasn’t comforting. She’d nearly had a panic attack over deciding which side of the room to sleep on.

(“Betty, just pick a bed.”

“Kevin, what if she’s side specific?”

“What does that even mean?”)

After finally picking the bed opposite the window––“This way, when we wake up, the sun will be in my eyes instead of hers.” “Oh my actual god.”––Kevin and Betty set to work decorating while Sheriff Keller stood off to the side, watching with amusement as the two argued over interior design. 

It only took the pair a half hour or so to set up Betty’s half of the room, though it would have taken much longer without Kevin, who was an avid watcher of Fixer Upper. After they were finished with Betty’s room, they set to work on Kevin’s, which was much less hands on. Kevin didn’t have nearly as many decorations, but he had a very specific layout that Betty had to be careful to follow, or else she’d have to start all over.

The two made good time and when it finally came time to say goodbye to Sheriff Keller, Betty wasn’t ashamed to say she cried a little. The man had basically been a father to her all summer. A good father, and Betty wasn’t used to good parenting. They’d fixed cars together and took bike rides and had even had their own family dinners when Kevin was out in the evenings. She thanked him over and over again, to the point where Sheriff Keller seemed moderately bashful upon all the praise he was receiving. After a heartwarming goodbye to his only son, and Betty, who was like a daughter to him, the two newly anointed NYU students saw Sheriff Keller off before returning to Kevin’s dorm. 

“So, are you ready?” Kevin asked, plopping himself on his bed.

“Not even close. I don’t think I did enough research.” 

“Well, there’s no time like the present. You wanna stalk her Instagram or her Twitter?” asked Kevin as he whipped out his phone.

“No, no, neither.” Betty rubbed her forehead. “I don’t wanna be creepy. Especially since I’ll be meeting her…like, at any time. The last thing I need is to be scrolling and accidentally like one of her posts from two years ago.”

“At least you could stalk her if you wanted. Joaquin doesn’t have social media, and trust me, I checked. How many Joaquin DeSantoses from Riverdale could there possibly be? Nada. Zilch. Nothing, not even an abandoned Facebook account.” Kevin sighed and thumbed at his phone. “At least…at least you have an idea about what you’re up against.”

“Um, yeah, and it’s absolutely frightening. She’s like…she’s literally a celebrity, Kev.”

“Oh come on, how bad can she possibly be?”

“I don’t want to jinx it.”

“Certainly not worse than Madam Satan herself.”

“Cheryl’s just a rich bitch. Veronica’s a rich, famous bitch.”

Kevin actually seemed to be at a loss for words. He frowned. “What did you come up with on the Google search two weeks ago?”

Betty pulled out Kevin’s swivel chair and sat down. “Not much,” she admitted. “I didn’t want to psych myself out. Now I’m feeling severely underprepared and I wish I had.”

“Well, what do we know?”

“Let’s see…” Betty blew out a breath. “Daughter of Hiram and Hermione Lodge. Her dad founded Lodge Industries. Hermione actually grew up in Riverdale.”

Kevin perked up. “Wonder if she knows Mama Cooper.”

“Let’s hope not, for her sake.”

Kevin snorted.

“She went to The Spence School for Girls, though I highly doubt that interfered with her male conquests–”

“Conquests?”

“It’s probably the best word for the late night rendezvouses she’s had.”

“Late night, midday, early morning…” Kevin ticked off on one hand. 

Betty rolled her eyes. “There were a couple of interviews she was linked in, but I didn’t watch them. I went like, two months deep into her Instagram. Pictures of her at fancy formal events with celebrities were kind of a shock. She had one of her at a dinner with Dylan Sprouse.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Speaking of, don’t you think Jughead kinda looks like him?”

“Jughead?” Kevin knitted together his eyebrows. “Yeah, no, I don’t see it.”

Betty shrugged. “Anyway. She’s been to the freaking Met Gala. She was at the top of cheerleading pyramid at Spence. Definite Head Bitch in Charge vibe. Needless to say, I’m rooming with Cheryl Blossom’s evil twin.”

“Isn’t Cheryl Blossom her own evil twin?”

“Eviler twin,” Betty conceded.

“Oh, maybe it won’t be that bad. Maybe you’ll be pleasantly surprised!”

Betty gave Kevin a look.

“I’m being an optimist for your sake, Betty Boop. This doesn’t affect me at all–”

Just then, the door swung open. Kevin and Betty both went quiet and looked at the young man in the door. Betty couldn’t see Kevin’s face, but she was pretty sure he was drooling.

The guy in the doorframe was on the shorter side, only a couple inches taller than Betty. His dark hair was slicked back behind his ears and shoulder length. With his light eyes and razor sharp jawline, the boy was Adonis in the flesh and dressed like a biker with his ripped jeans, combat boots, and, you guessed it, Southside Serpent jacket. “Are you Kevin Keller?” Even his voice was melodious.

Kevin shot up. “Hi, yes, I’m ga–Kevin. You must be Joaquin?”

“That’s me.” He shook Kevin’s outstretched hand and looked at Betty. “I can come back if you guys are–”

“No! No,” Kevin said quickly. “Betty was just leaving.”

“I was?”

“You were.” Kevin looked over his shoulder and gave her a very unsubtle and pointed look. 

“Right. Well, Joaquin, I’m sure we’ll have more time to get to know each other. Betty, by the way. Betty Cooper.” Betty said as she sidled her way past the boy.

Joaquin offered a brilliant smile. Seriously, his teeth should have come with a warning label, or he should have been handing out sunglasses, or something. “Nice to meet you, Betty.”

As soon as Betty cleared the doorframe, Kevin was closing it behind her, while mouthing. ‘Oh my god,” like he’d just hit the lottery. And Betty had to admit, if Joaquin was gay, Kevin certainly did.

Laughing to herself about her best friend’s luck, she made her way to the elevator. Once she hit the button for the twenty-fifth floor, a thick coat of dread settled in her stomach. Veronica wouldn’t be in the room once she got back, right? No. No, it was still early, she’d be fine. Maybe she’d have time to do some research, even. 

So much for not psyching myself out, she thought miserably.

The elevator came to a top at her floor and she made her way to her room. Yeah, she’d do a little research. Scroll deeper into her Instagram. Watch a couple interviews if she had time. It’d be fine, right?

Wrong.

Once Betty reached her door and swiped her key card, she began to punch in the passcode–but she didn’t have to. The door swung open. On the other side stood a short, elderly gentleman in a butler’s getup, complete with the hat and white gloves.

“You must be Ms. Cooper. Ms. Lodge has been waiting to meet you.”

“Oh–uh–erm, well, thank you, um–”

“You may call me Smithers,” said the older man politely.

“Smithers,” Betty filled in lamely.

Smithers opened the door further, beckoning Betty in, once she saw Veronica, she felt like the breath got knocked out of her lungs. The girl was dressed to the nines, making Betty feel like she was at a fancy restaurant and not her college dorm. She wore a tight midnight purple dress and a black cape with six inch heels that made her legs go on for miles. Of course Veronica Lodge would casually be walking in six inch heels. Why wouldn’t she be? Her raven hair fell just past her shoulders in soft waves and her makeup was perfect, not a smudge in sight. Perhaps the most alluring thing about her (who was Betty kidding, all of this woman was alluring) were her lips, which were a bright shade of red, a sharp contrast against her rather dark ensemble (other than her pearls, which were almost as blinding as Joaquin’s teeth). Betty felt severely under dressed.

When their eyes met, Betty thought she caught a flash of something that wasn’t as menacing as she seemed. Surprise, maybe? But when she smiled, it was all teeth and no warmth. It was almost…almost predatory.

Betty swallowed. She could barely think a comprehensive thought, much less put together a sentence. Her only hope was that she’d be able to get used to the Lodge heiress because she was more than distracting. She was absolutely enigmatic. Oh, yes. This was going to be a long semester.

 

_ *** _

 

_ Veronica _

 

Veronica Lodge was, of course, still annoyed. The gall NYU had to refuse her parents, to refuse her. Didn’t they know she had a reputation for getting what she wanted? Certainly they weren’t stupid. Maybe the heads of the school didn’t realize what they’d done. Or maybe they did. It didn’t matter. It wouldn’t cost them anything. The consequences would fall on poor, faceless Elizabeth Cooper. She was like a piece of meat being thrown to the lions. And Veronica was ready to sink her teeth in.

Hiram Lodge had a business meeting all day and Hermione had a bridge appointment with her fellow rich, middle aged, socialite friends. This left Veronica and moving day to Smithers, and Veronica didn’t really mind. Smithers was the Lodges butler and he was a very nice old man who Veronica could not seem to be angry at, ever. And she’d tried. But there was something about his polite and gentle manner than soothed Veronica. She was almost happy to be left with the little man instead of her parents.

To be honest, Veronica was used to her parents being absent. Hiram was constantly working, and Hermione usually helped with bookkeeping to seem busy. Her mother did her best (not really her best, but that’s what Veronica told herself) to spend time with her daughter since Hiram wasn’t really around much, but she had her duties as a rich housewife to prance around with other rich housewives. Veronica was practically raised by Smithers, which had its benefits, but it was also hard. Sometimes she wished she were closer to her parents. But that kind of thinking only came late at night when Veronica was tired and vulnerable. She didn’t like to make a habit of feeling bad for herself. How could she, when she had the things she had and looked like she did?

So, after getting her key card, and finding a couple dumb jocks in the courtyard, Veronica, Smithers, and the aforementioned jocks hauled Veronica’s things to the twenty-fifth floor. Well, more accurately, the boys and Smithers hauled Veronica’s things. Veronica accompanied smugly, smirk poised on her cherry red lips, Chanel purse hanging from her elbow. 

Upon arrival at her dorm, Veronica was surprised to find that Elizabeth Cooper’s things were already set up on the left side of the room, where the window faced the bed. “How thoughtful of the degenerate,” Veronica hummed to herself lowly. 

Elizabeth’s things were, predictably, as bland as Veronica was betting her personality would be. Pastel pink bedding, a couple frames hung on the wall, yet to be filled with pictures. The work desk was neatly arranged. Nothing was out of place, Veronica noted, which said a lot about the small town girl’s personality. Veronica had no idea how she was supposed to spend fifteen weeks with this girl. Hell, she didn’t know how she was supposed to spend fifteen minutes with her.

“Where would you like your things, Ms. Lodge?” asked Smithers politely.

Veronica turned her back to Elizabeth’s things and began directing Smithers (and the boys) on how to set up her room. Fifteen minutes and a hundred dollars later, Thing One and Two were gone and Veronica’s space was neatly organized and decorated. It hadn’t cost her a drop of sweat or a bit of effort. And that was how things were supposed to be.

“I believe you’re all set, Ms. Lodge. If you don’t mind my asking, do you think you’re prepared?” Smithers said as he folded his hands behind his back.

Veronica leaned against her desk and set her purse down. “I think the better question, Smithers, would be is the college prepared for me?”

“Touché,” said the butler with a small grin.

“Honestly, I think it’s all a bit underwhelming. I feel like Holly Golightly, but I’m strictly imprisoned with Emily Webb in ‘Our Town.’ ”

“You’re still in New York City, Ms. Lodge. It’s not as if Ms. Cooper is bringing Riverdale with her.”

“But that’s where you’re wrong, Smithers. Surroundings and environments have a vast impact on actions and mannerisms. I’m ‘Breakfast at Tiffany’s’ and she’s ‘Dawson’s Creek.’ It’s going to be a disaster.”

“Looks like we’re about to find out,” stated Smithers as he heard the door beep as a key card was swiped through the slot. He grasped the door handle and opened it. “You must be Ms. Cooper. Ms. Lodge has been waiting to meet you,” Veronica heard the butler say. She also heard the misfit–her roommate–stumbling over her words behind him. She craned her head slightly to get a look at her, but Smithers was in the way and he hadn’t opened the door enough. Pushing herself off of the desk, she wandered to the middle of the room, looking over her shoulder as Smithers moved aside.

And Veronica Lodge, in all her glory, was actually struck surprised.

In the room now, was a girl, who Veronica was just barely taller than in her six inch Louboutin heels. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail and her eyes were a striking shade of green. She was dressed simply, in a blue flannel with the sleeves rolled to her elbows, a black camisole peeking out where she’d stopped buttoning. She had on a pair of worn skinny jeans and old Converse sneakers, and Veronica had never rubbed elbows with someone who looked so…so girl-next-door-ish. Veronica was also certain she’d never rubbed elbows with anyone nearly as angelic. As gorgeous. As stunning. With her narrow features, tall frame, blonde hair and light eyes, Elizabeth Cooper would have been exactly Veronica’s type, had she been rich and socially elite and less…American Girl Doll. But, to be frank, it didn’t matter. Elizabeth Cooper was an absolute smokeshow and not at all what Veronica had expected. When the girl gave her a nervous smile, Veronica felt like her brain was short circuiting. 

Now, Veronica had her fair share of…well, conquests, for lack of a better word. Devastatingly attractive guys and girls alike. She didn’t care about gender or sexual orientation. Veronica Lodge was hot and liked hot people. It was a fact. Lucky for her, growing up in the Big Apple, it was also easy. A lot less judgement came from the big city. However, coming from a place like Riverdale, Veronica was sure Elizabeth Cooper would be as straight as an arrow. Or at least, if she wasn’t, she would be facing latent homosexuality and some programmed heteronormativity. 

It wouldn’t matter though. Back at Spence, it was almost a game for Veronica to see which girls she could play with and which ones would put up a fight. Most tried, to their credit. But Veronica Lodge was Veronica Lodge and she always got what she wanted. “I only take the best of the best, girls and guys alike,” she’d once told her clique at Spence.

So why on earth was brain screaming and pointing to the painfully average girl before her, saying ‘that one, I want that one!’

Veronica, though, was an expert at social graces. Sincerity, though, was never a necessity. The brief surprise she’d shown was gone in an instant, replaced with her trademark Ice Queen smile that had made freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors at Spence cower before her. She was certain she looked like a picture of New York: rich, classy, and dangerous.

Too bad her only coherent thought was about how badly she wanted to take the innocent blonde for a spin that would be anything but. Oh, yes. This was going to be a long semester.

  
  
  



	3. First Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica and Betty talk for the first time, and Betty makes a startling discovery about her through Kevin.
> 
> Kevin has assured her that it literally wasn't a secret, she just didn't dig hard enough.
> 
> (Betty would like to add that she didn't want to seem too invested in Veronica's social life.)
> 
> (Even though, spoiler alert, she totally is.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wouldn't get used to this whole 'chapter a day' thing, but come on, I'm really feeling myself here, guys. ALSO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE OVERWHELMING SUPPORT????? Like I was just posting this because of my personal vendetta against Bughead, but I'm honestly so excited that y'all are enjoying this.
> 
> THIS. This is the moment you've been waiting for. LET THE GAY COMMENCE!
> 
> (PS, just a lil fun fact, if my ninth grade self knew I was typing the words 'LET THE GAY COMMENCE' and was an active member of the LGBT community, she would probably go into cardiac arrest. So the lil gay panic you see in here? That's like...personal experience. But my character development is bangin', yo. And the development shall be banged from here.)

 

_ *** _

 

_ Veronica _

 

After finally getting her bearings, Veronica recovered coolly. With her icy smile and pleasant facade, she was certain it’d be easy to win over her very own Small Town ™  American Girl Doll. However, she wasn’t quite certain she trusted herself yet. There was something positively enamouring about Elizabeth Cooper, but Veronica couldn’t put her finger on it for the life of her. There was  _ nothing _ that stood out about this girl (except the fact that Veronica was channeling her inner Paris and Betty was her Helen of Troy [though Veronica would  _ never _ admit this aloud]). 

So Veronica did what she did best. She catered.

“Elizabeth Cooper,” she said, letting the girl’s name slide off of her tongue, in a tone much more sultry than she’d intended. The moment her name passed Veronica’s lips, Elizabeth seemed to tense, like a deer in headlights, nervous smile frozen in place. “How wonderful to finally put a face to the title.” Veronica took slow, meaningful steps to close the gap between her and her roommate. She didn’t want to scare her off. Not yet. She extended a hand. “Veronica Lodge.”

Elizabeth shook her hand gently; Veronica noted that her hands were calloused and more rough than she thought they’d be. “Uh-well, actually, it’s, um, it’s Betty. No one calls me Elizabeth. But-but you can, if you like. Just no one does, usually, except my mother.” Eliza- _ Betty _ clamped her mouth shut. “I’m rambling. Feel free to shut me up at any point.” 

“I think it’s rather charming,” Veronica said easily, lifting Betty’s hand to kiss her knuckles softly. And she got  _ exactly _ the reaction she was expecting. Nervous laughter. A quick release of Veronica’s hand, and a swipe of a nonexistent hair behind her ear. Her neck and chest had flushed a deep red, and Betty seemed to be trying to look anywhere,  _ but _ at Veronica.

Oh. My.  _ God _ . Betty Cooper was as innocent as they came, Veronica was sure of it. She could bet her mother’s pearls on the fact that this girl was a virgin, probably hadn’t even had her first kiss yet.  _ Perhaps this  _ won’t _ be so bad _ , Veronica mused to herself. She could play this game with Betty for fifteen weeks. Maybe she could even twist the small town girl’s boy shorts and ruin her purity a tad. That was something she was unquestionably good at. Fifteen weeks and then she could move into her own penthouse suite and never see Betty Cooper again. (Unless, of course,  _ maybe _ the girl would have an impact on Veronica, and  _ maybe _ Veronica would actually want to keep her around. But that was ludicrous. Veronica wouldn’t touch a committed relationship with a ten foot pole. Not after Dylan.) Suddenly, Veronica’s first college semester seemed alight with possibilities and personal challenges.

Veronica’s lips curled into a cheshire smile. “Smithers!” she called. “Will you be leaving then?”

“Yes, I do believe I’ll be going back home. When can we expect you to visit?” The older man looked somewhat concerned, and if Veronica didn’t know better, she’d have thought it was for the blonde. Smithers was one of few (read: many) that were privy to Veronica Lodge’s antics when it came to her…personal relations. She supposed he had a reason to be worried for the blonde then, when she really thought about it. 

Betty jumped at the sound of the butler’s voice, like she’d forgotten he was there. Veronica was pretty sure she’d been distracting enough to the blonde that, in fact, Betty  _ had _ forgotten he was there. Maybe this was going to be easier than Veronica thought.

Veronica waved a hand breezily. “Perhaps this weekend, perhaps the next. I’m not sure. Oh, stop looking so apprehensive, Smithers. I’ll be gentle with her.” At that, Betty starting coughing rather loudly. “We’ll have fun, won’t we, Betty?” Veronica looked at her roommate and batted her eyelashes, smiling sickly sweet.

“Yep,” Betty said weakly. “Fun.”

“Ms. Lodge, I–”

Veronica spun around as she faced her butler and sent him a pointed look. Smithers cut himself off and nodded politely. He tipped his hat. “I will see myself out, Ms. Lodge.” He looked past Veronica at Elizabeth Cooper, who was now perched on her bed, looking increasingly more uncomfortable. And that just wasn’t going to do. “It was a pleasure, Ms. Cooper. I hope to be seeing more of you.”

A bit of relief passed over Betty’s face as Smithers addressed her. It was almost as if Betty was anxious to be left with Veronica. What a concept!

“It was nice to meet you too, Smithers.” She waved goodbye with a soft little smile, void of the nervousness that it had when speaking to Veronica. (Veronica, who realized with a very disturbing thought, that she  _ liked _ that smile, and frankly, was a tad jealous it wasn’t aimed at her. But that was ridiculous. Veronica Lodge didn’t get jealous, especially of mediocre little things like  _ smiles _ .)

Once again, Smithers tipped his hat before disappearing behind their door, leaving Veronica and Betty alone.

Veronica turned and crossed her arms as she appraised Betty’s side of the room once more, but now with the girl in it. She decided it fit, almost, but not really. The decor was too…too pristine, too  _ perfect _ . Too calculated. The girl before her was more tomboyish and, well, that was  _ perfect _ for her (from a completely objective standpoint, Veronica told herself). Once more, Betty smiled, and the nervous edge was back.

Before Betty could say anything to make herself look even more foolish, Veronica beat her to it. “I see you took the side of the room adjacent to the window,” she said coolly.

“Yeah, I, um, I thought you might not want to wake up to the sun in your eyes,” she said in a small voice, still not quite meeting Veronica’s eyes. She had a slight stutter, but it was going away as she talked a bit more. The shellshock was wearing off, then, Veronica supposed.

“How thoughtful,” the Latina replied. “You can relax, you know. I don’t bite. Not unless you want me to.” Veronica winked and would have laughed at how quickly Betty changed color, if she could have gotten away with it. Betty paled and then very rapidly reddened until she was a bright shade of scarlet. Had this girl been completely sheltered?

“Yeah, right.” Betty closed her eyes and shook her head. “Sorry, this is just all so…”

“Overwhelming?” Veronica supplied.

“That’s one way of putting it,” Betty laughed uneasily, but that edge was gone. She seemed to be relaxing, to a degree. Or, as much as one could when rooming with  _ the _ Veronica Lodge.

“I imagine New York is much different than…Lakedale?”

“Riverdale,” Betty corrected. (Read: Veronica knew it was Riverdale, but she didn’t want to seem  _ that _ invested in Betty’s social life.)  “And yeah. I’m pretty sure the entire population could live on this single block.”

“It’s something, isn’t? I’ve lived here my whole life. I’ve traveled of course, but I always seem to come back here. It’s home.” Veronica let a bit of wistfulness creep into her tone. It would be good to connect with Betty. And it’d certainly make their game more fun.

“I hope I’ll get to travel someday. I’ve never really left Riverdale.”

Veronica was positively scandalized and even…she even felt a bit bad for Betty. “Never? You mean, this is your first trip to New York too?”

“This is my first time staying out of state for more than a three day/two night stay at some rickety hotel in Greendale for a school football tournament to write for the  _ Blue & Gold _ ,” Betty said with a grin that could only be characterized as a smirk.  

“First question,” said Veronica, settling into her vintage leather swivel chair and facing Betty, with a grin. “What’s the  _ Blue & Gold _ ?”

“Riverdale High’s newspaper. I sorta got it back up and running my sophomore year with a friend of mine. I was the head journalist and editor.”

“That explains the journalism major. Second question: how many towns around you end in the suffix ‘dale’?”

Betty cracked a grin at that, free of the uneasy edge it had previously had. “I told you, it’s a lot different.”

“Well, it  _ sounds  _ like a positive bore. We simply must get you out to see the world. How’s your fall break look?”

“My fall break–”

“Excellent. I’ll arrange us a little rendezvous on the town. Perhaps see a show on Broadway, assuming you’ve never been. Ugh, and the Magnolia Bakery. A necessity to visit as soon as possible, and we certainly won’t be waiting for fall break for that. Breakfast tomorrow morning?”

“Well, actually–”

“Sounds delightful. Oh, and lunch at Buvette? To  _ die _ for.” Veronica hummed to herself. She could already smell their croissants. “Honestly, Betty–”

“Veronica!”

Veronica paused, and then forgot why she paused. Then she realized Betty Cooper, quiet, timid Betty Cooper, had gotten her attention by raising her voice to louder than a bashful speaking tone. “Yes, Betty?”

Betty laughed–actually laughed–a melodious sound that Veronica was sure she never wanted to stop hearing (until, you know, she got her own suite and could continue her life as a rich teenage socialite New Yorker as it was meant to be). “While that all sounds…” Betty shook her head with a disbelieving grin. “...absolutely breathtaking, I have plans. Tomorrow morning, at least. A lot of my graduating class from Riverdale came out here and, well, me and my best friend, Kevin, we were planning on getting together with a few of them to take a tour of the city and get a feel for it.  _ Without _ a chauffeur and the paparazzi following us,” she finished when Veronica opened her mouth.

How had Betty known she was going to offer to be their tour guide?  _ Why _ was Veronica going to offer her to be their tour guide? And also–“Kevin? Best friend?” Veronica asked, trying to not sound jealous or threatened. (She thought she did a good job. This was  _ her _ conquest, after all. [Read: she didn’t do a good job. At all.])

Betty laughed again. “Please, Kevin’s like Neil Patrick Harris and Elton John combined. And gayer. He’s definitely not interested in anything I have going on.”

So she had a friend on the spectrum and was open to it. While this was good news, that didn’t mask the bad news. Betty had just turned Veronica down.  _ Twice _ . Once on their lunch date, that she hadn’t really been aware of, but whatever. And twice when she was going to offer to go with her and friends. Was Betty really that blissfully ignorant of that mantra that Veronica Lodge always got what she wanted?

“It was nice of you to offer, though, really, Veronica. Some other time would be great though!”

Veronica recovered, though she felt like she’d been burned. Hell hath no fury like a Veronica Lodge scorned, though, and Betty would have to learn that the hard way. (Okay, so Betty hadn’t scorned her. She’d very politely turned down the offer, in fact, but Veronica was  _ not _ happy.)

“No, yeah, I totally understand! Sounds great! So, uh…” Veronica cursed internally. She was a Lodge. She was the silver-tongued heiress. She wasn’t supposed to get tongue-tied. “Uh, are you going to Welcome Day?”

Betty must have been anticipating the question because she’d grabbed her student ID and her Jansport backpack and slung it over her shoulders. “Yeah. It starts at noon, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah, I think so.” Veronica refastened her cape around her shoulders and grabbed her Chanel bag. “A couple of my friends are coming here, too. For college. I suppose I should reconnect with them. Walk with me?”  _ Dammit! _ Veronica cursed. She was  _ supposed _ to be trying to make Betty at least a little jealous in that sentence, not asking her to walk together. This usually didn’t happen. Veronica Lodge was not used to being rejected and so easily dismissed.

When Betty smiled and nodded, opening the door for her, Veronica almost– _ almost _ –tripped. Up closer, Veronica could see flecks of gold and blue in Betty’s green irises. And don’t even get Veronica  _ started _ on her bone structure. 

“Geez, B, anyone ever tell you you’re a smokeshow?” slips out before Veronica can stop it.

And Betty just laughed, though the tips of her ears turned pink. “I’m not the one in designer clothing.”

_ You don’t need to be _ , spoke a little voice in the back of Veronica’s mind.

_ Shut up _ , she told it.

Maybe this wasn’t going to be as easy as she thought.

 

***

 

_ Betty _

 

Betty honestly did not understand her first meeting with Veronica Lodge. At all. One second she was icy and scary, the next she was nice and flirty, and  _ that _ was equally scary. When the Lodge heiress had kissed Betty’s knuckles, she had thought she was going to faint. Seriously, Betty now completely understood the term ‘jelly knees’.

Veronica Lodge was probably a goddess in the flesh, Betty decided. Probably. The pictures on the internet hadn’t done her justice. No amount of research could have prepared Betty for meeting her. Except maybe…

“Kevin, what all do we know about Veronica Lodge’s private life?”

Betty, Kevin, and a tagalong Joaquin were walking through a stretch of campus with booths set up, all advertising for their clubs. Veronica had taken off onto the fourteenth floor to get together with a friend of hers from Spence. In a hurry, she’d blown Betty a kiss goodbye out of the elevator, making Betty flush a violent shade of pink. After getting Kevin and Joaquin, they’d met up with Archie, who had since been dragged off by a representative from the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, dubbed ‘Pike’. Each of the trio held a corndog and weren’t really interested in any of the groups, except Betty, who wanted to try her hand at writing for the Washington Square News, NYU’s independent student newspaper.

“Hm?” asked Kevin, who had been wrapped up in a conversation with Joaquin. The moment Kevin opened the door when Betty knocked, he’d winked and his hair was ever so slightly displaced. Betty couldn’t believe her best friend’s luck and her own. Specifically, how rotten hers was. She supposed it could have been worse. She’d been expecting Veronica to a bitch, but she was…somewhat down to earth. For now. But third wheeling was not a favorite pasttime of hers.

“I said, what do we know about Veronica’s private life?”

Joaquin whistled. “Kevin told me you were rooming with Ms. Lodge, herself. I don’t envy you,  _ chica _ .”

Betty shrugged. “She was surprisingly kind, to be honest. She came on a bit…” Betty swallowed briefly as she imagined Veronica’s lips coming in contact with her hand. “...strong,” she finished. “But all in all, I was expecting a lot worse. She’s absolutely stunning, too,” Betty threw in. She didn’t seem to notice the look that Kevin and Joaquin shared. “Pictures don’t do her justice.”

“Mhm, that’s what she wants you to think, Bets,” Kevin said seriously. “She’s got you, hook, line, and sinker. Rich New York socialites are a breed of their own. They ease you over then sink their talons in.”

“She’s a rich girl, Kev, not a bird of prey.”

“They both squawk, they’re gorgeous to look at, and dangerous as hell. Pray tell, Betty, what’s the difference?” Kevin asked, waving his corndog. He raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Betty didn’t have an answer. Kevin was right. What if it was all a show? Did it honestly matter? She’d be stuck with the girl for fifteen weeks anyway, no matter what. Even if Veronica was acting, it was better than Betty being stuck with a rich bitch for three and a half months. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Betty said after a bit of a prolonged silence. “We’re still roommates. I still have to live with her, so if it is a show, I say it must go on. I’d rather not have her talons…you know, sinking in.” She was quiet for a beat, and then, “So her personal life?”

“Well, she hasn’t dated exclusively since her junior year at Spence. And when I say exclusively, I mean seriously. I don’t count her fling with Dylan Sprouse. Or Cody Christian. Or any of these other B-List celebrities.”

“Who was the relationship with?”

Kevin, who was furious scrolling on his iPhone, had his face scrunched up in concentration. Joaquin was peeking over his shoulder, trying to see what he was doing.

“Uhh...let’s see. Here we go. Last picture posted last March. Her and some YouTube singer,” he said.

“Oh, that’s Dylan Slater,” said Joaquin. Kevin snorted and looked at his roommate. “What? There’s some good stuff on the channel!”    

“Here, Betts.”

Betty had been grabbing a lemonade at one of the booths. She was taking a drink when she looked at the post–and promptly began choking. Kevin snatched his hand back to avoid the spray of lemonade. Betty coughed and spluttered. “Gimme that!”

She snatched the phone back. Her eyes hadn’t been lying to her. Dylan Slater was a  _ girl _ . The picture was a candid, and a beautifully taken one at that. The girl, Dylan, had her head thrown back and was laughing at something. She was dressed startlingly tomboyish, but everything she wore was still name brand, Betty could tell. Those rips in her skinny jeans were made by the factory, not from playing hard. She had blond hair that fell in waves around her narrow face, and she wore a pullover sweatshirt with a backwards baseball cap. And Veronica was looking at her like she was her world. Betty was in awe that Veronica Lodge could express that much love in one look–much less any love at all. She’d thought the girl was strictly into flings. And strictly into flings with  _ guys _ .

“She’s  _ gay _ ?!” was the first thing that came from Betty’s lips. She hadn’t meant to sound rude, but she was incredibly thrown off.

“She’s  _ bisexual _ ,” Kevin corrected lightly. “You didn’t know?”

“You did?”

“Well, yeah,” said Kevin. He scrolled up and showed Betty another photo of the two. “It’s not like she was hiding it. You know, she kinda looks like you. Well, aesthetically.” Betty nearly choked again.

The two were lip-locked on the terrace of some building, far too caught up each other to notice the photographer or the incredible view before them. The photo was sickeningly sweet. The kiss seemed gentle, and not at all NSFW. It was a loving kiss between two people, one you would show your kids fondly, if same-sex relationships weren’t still generally frowned upon within society. Seeing Veronica Lodge in this vulnerable state was just…odd. 

“You didn’t think it would be somewhat worth mentioning?” Betty squeaked.

Joaquin snorted–and Kevin looked like he’d just hit the lottery. “What? I didn’t think it’d be a problem. You’re not gay, right, Betty?”

Betty frowned in confusion. Of course she wasn’t gay. Kevin knew that. So why was he…”You are  _ not _ insinuating what I think you are,” she hissed, her eyebrows raised.

Kevin raised his hands in surrender. “ _ I’m _ not insinuating anything.  _ You _ interpret your little lady crush on Veronica Lodge how you want.”

Betty was adamant and halted to a stop. “I don’t have a lady crush on Veronica!”

“ _ She’s absolutely stunning, too, _ ” Kevin mimicked in a high falsetto that she figured was supposed to be her voice.

“ _ Pictures don’t do her justice _ ,” added Joaquin in the same mocking tone.

Betty’s jaw dropped and she crossed her arms. “ _ What? _ Can’t a girl think another girl is pretty without being accused of being gay?”

“A girl could,” Kevin agreed. “But, Betty, honey, you are a girl who wears way too much flannel to pass as straight. You have to be at least bicurious. You worked on cars with my dad for half of the summer!”

“As a member of the LGBT community, I thought you of all people, Kevin, wouldn’t subscribe to stereotypes.”

“Betty, sweetie, you and I are practically walking stereotypes. We’re posterchildren for Gays R Us.”

“Oh my god, Kevin, I’m  _ straight _ .”

“Okay maybe I subscribe to stereotypes, but I seriously wish you would unsubscribe to the hetero nonsense that Alice programmed in your head. Think about it, Betts. You’ve never even dated a boy!”

“I was into Archie all of high school, remember? Besides, maybe I just have abnormally high standards in men,” she reasoned.

“Yes, Betty, you do. Because they have to be girls named Veronica Lodge.”

Betty heavily rolled her eyes. “Okay. I’m done with this conversation because it seems to me like you’re not budging.” She sighed while Kevin just grinned at her cheekily. “I’m going to go look at the Washington Square News booth. If you need me, don’t.”

Joaquin and Kevin both chuckled, murmuring their goodbyes.

Betty was still thunderstruck that Kevin would even think such a thing. It wasn’t that she was offended, not at all. Okay…alright, no, maybe she was a little bit. But not because she thought there was anything wrong with being gay! But because, well, Betty was pretty sure she’d know if she liked girls. Kevin certainly didn’t know Betty better than she knew herself. 

But, on the other side of things, maybe he did. Maybe Kevin was right. What if Betty was hung up on Archie all those years because that’s what was expected of her? That’s what the town expected, what Alice expected. Remember, conservative small town stereotypes and all that. Betty didn’t like following stereotypes. But that was one, she realized, that she’d followed to the T in Riverdale, just trying to be  _ normal _ . What if…what if Betty  _ did _ find Veronica Lodge pretty? And not in a regular straight girl way. But…in a gay way?

And then…oh boy. Veronica had been flirty when they’d first met and this new discovery explained so much. Or did it? Betty wasn’t sure. But, aesthetically, Dylan Slater  _ did _ kinda dress like her. And Dylan Slater  _ did _ kinda have the same blond hair. The only stark difference (other than facial structure) was that her eyes were an electric shade of blue. So what if all that flirting wasn’t just something rich New York City girls did? What if…oh god, what if Veronica Lodge was  _ really, actually, honest to god flirting with her _ ? 

She shook her head as she walked, taking another drink of lemonade and tossing her corndog in the nearest trash can. She wasn’t hungry anymore. Her pulse was thrumming violently under her skin. She was freaking out for no reason, right? Veronica didn’t like her that way. Heck, they’d met a couple hours ago! Veronica Lodge had merely been being polite. Perhaps a bit overly so, but polite. And Betty Cooper was fine. Betty Cooper was straight. Betty Cooper was  _ normal _ . (Betty Cooper was seriously wishing she’d taken her adderall that morning.)

Letting out a breath, Betty found herself at the Washington Square News booth. There was a nice looking girl ( _ nice looking, innocent, straight girl, like myself _ , Betty thought absently) running the booth, with a huskier boy who looked like a big teddy bear. This was what she needed: a distraction. A distraction that  _ wasn’t _ Veronica Lodge. A distraction that put her far, far away from  _ anything  _ that had to do with Veronica Lodge.


	4. Stalking 101 With Betty Cooper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty joins the school newspaper and then goes back to her dorm to stalk Veronica. She runs into a little self discovery along the way.
> 
> Kevin really wishes Betty would stop freaking out about the entire situation and let him have some uninterrupted alone time with his sexy roommate.
> 
> (Betty really wishes Kevin would stop referring to Joaquin as 'his sexy roommate' when he's standing right there.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A CHAPTER A DAY KEEPS THE BUGHEAD STANS AWAY.
> 
> But seriously, like I said, don't get used to this, this has to be a record for me. But in honor of National Coming Out Day AND the Riverdale season 2 premiere, I wanted to post this since I knew we wouldn't get enough Gay™ from the episode, and I thought this would be nice. 
> 
> Also in the first five minutes when Veronica put her head on Betty's shoulder for .2 seconds, I literally screamed.
> 
> So yeah! Happy Riverdale Premiere, but especially Happy National Coming Out Day! Remember, in or out of the closet, you're still valid and I love you! I'm only out to a few people, but there's absolutely no pressure. Do it on your own terms. There are people in your corner. We love you and accept you.
> 
> NOW ENJOY YOU GAY NERDS

_***_

 

_Betty_

 

“Hi!” said the girl brightly as Betty approached. She was a bit smaller than Betty was dressed simply in jeans, sneakers, and a long sleeved shirt. She had light hair chopped off below the chin and a pair of huge, round glasses that magnified her eyes. The girl almost reminded Betty of a fairy.

“I’m Lex, and that’s Charlie.” Charlie, the husky guy beside her, wasn’t actually that husky. He was dressed like Lex was and had curly reddish brown hair. His beard, however, was one of the brightest reds Betty had ever seen. Charlie grinned and waved. Lex said, “We’re the head editors of the Washington Square News. Well, _I’m_ the editor. Charlie writes. Badly, but don’t tell him I said that.”

Charlie feigned offense and smiled warmly at Betty. “So, what brings you to our corner?” He had a slight accent. Southern, maybe?

Betty smiled back, at ease with the strangers. Definitely more at ease than when she had been thinking about Veronica a second ago. _No, stop it_ , she chided herself. _No thinking about Veronica Lodge_ . _Not now. Not ever_. “I restarted my high school’s newspaper when I was a sophomore and worked on it the last three years of school I had. I’m actually a journalism major, and this is kinda my passion. Just wondering if you had any openings available? Oh, and my name is Betty. Betty Cooper.” She stuck out her hand she shook each of theirs.

“Well, Betty, we always have room for new writers. What’d you do for your paper?” asked Lex as she began snatched a paper and pen, holding it out to Betty.

“Well, uh, the usual, mostly. Football games, community events, opinion polls. Student interviews,” Betty ticked off as she began to fill out the form. “My friend, he was the editor. He’s going to school here too, actually.”

“Cool!” said Charlie. “Well, here, we write about the campus events that the school hosts, which are a lot, actually. We have a crime report and even just some interesting issues that our writers want the student body to know about. And of course we cover what your high school did too. Where are you from?”

“Riverdale.”

“Never heard of it.”

Betty cracked a grin. “Most haven’t. It’s not exactly a picture of city life.”

Charlie snorted. “I hear that. I come from a little town just south of Atlanta. No one knows where it is, so at this point, I just say I’m from Atlanta.”

“There’s nothing close enough to Riverdale to do that for. Greendale?”

“Negative, Ghost Rider. Sorry.”

Betty sighed as she wrote down her phone number and handed the slip of paper to Lex. “I’m cursed to be the girl from the small town nobody’s heard of forever.”

“Maybe so,” said Lex as she took the paper, “but you’re in New York City for college! That’s a heck of a step. Do you like it here so far?”

Betty actually paused to think about the question. She loved the college, that was for sure. And she was here with Kevin and Archie and a few others from Riverdale, so there were familiar faces all around if she needed one. But Veronica was going to be a whole different beast to face everyday, from the looks of it, especially if–no. Betty wasn’t going to think about that right then. She couldn’t psych herself out. Now was _not_ the time.

“I love it here,” Betty answered honestly. “It’s so different and, yeah, a little scary…but it’s incredible. I think it’ll be fun.”

Lex smiled. “Yeah. I came from Pittsburgh, but New York is a different kinda city. This is the start of my senior year though, so I’m excited. Welcome Week is honestly really fun, if you’re into the team-building kinda thing. And if you’re not…” Lex leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, “Pi Kappa Alpha throws parties every night this week. I have a freebie, if you ever wanna come.”

Betty shuddered, remembering the last party she was at at Reggie Mantle’s house. There had been a lot of liquor and Archie was drunk and arguing loudly with Cheryl. They’d broken up the day after. Betty remembered watching the scene unfold with a smug sense of satisfaction, but also a twinge of remorse for her friend. And then Betty had remembered Archie was a big boy  and he made his own choices. He knew what he was getting into with Cheryl Blossom. And then she didn’t feel a lick of sympathy.

“I think I’ll have to pass. Parties aren’t exactly my scene. Thanks, though!”

Lex grinned and nodded. “To be honest, I didn’t think they would be, but I figured I’d ask!”

“Yeah.” Betty smiled at the two. “Well, I better head out. Do you have everything you need?”

“Yep!” said Charlie popping the ‘p’. “We’ll be in touch, Betty. First meeting is next Tuesday at six pm.”

“Sounds good. Thank you guys!”

Betty waved her goodbyes to Charlie and Lex and cantered off between the booths. As she walked, she looked at each one, just to see what NYU had to offer. A photography club, a lacrosse team, field hockey…an LGBT safe zone. A softball team, which Betty had always wanted to try her hand at. A swim team, which was another thing Betty loved. But Betty fully planned on dedicating her time and energy to her studies and the newspaper. (And not killing Veronica Lodge when she drove her insane, which was probably going to be inevitable.)

When she zoned out as she walked, it usually led to really bad things. Like this one time, in second grade, she walked in the middle of a kickball game at recess and got nailed in the nose. In sixth grade, she walked into a construction zone and nearly got bulldozed. During her freshman year, she walked into Cheryl Blossom and had to deal with the heckling that followed for a solid week.

This time, she ran into a girl who was just a tad shorter than her. Her popcorn flew out of her hands, scattering to the birds. Betty was mortified. “Oh my god, I am so sorry, I’ll replace your popcorn, I should have been watching where I was going–”

“It’s fine, it’s okay,” said the other girl with a polite, but timid smile. She was on the shorter side, with dark hair in a pixie cut and square glasses. She was wearing a large sweatshirt and jeans with a pair of old Vans. “Don’t worry about the popcorn. It was–It was free.”

“Are you sure?” Betty asked. “Really, it’d be no problem–”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll, um, see you around!” she said.

Before Betty could respond or get the girl’s name, she was walking off quickly. Betty watched her fleeting figure with confusion. She felt bad, but she also knew some people were more anxious in social situations than others. In fact, she used to be one of those girls. She knew it wasn’t likely, but Betty _did_ hope she’d see the girl around. Betty could always use new friends, especially in somewhere like New York City.

The rest of the day progressed by slowly and Betty left the festivities early. She had texted Kevin in hopes that he’d respond, but he was probably in some dark corner, wrapped up in Joaquin, too busy to care. She considered texting Archie, or even Jughead to grab dinner, but Archie would no doubt still be with Pike and Jughead…well, they were acquaintances, and while they’d had plenty of late nights together, just the two of them, Betty wasn’t sure if she was ready to progress into the ‘hanging out’ stage. In the end, Betty just headed to her dorm, hoping, _praying_ , that Veronica Lodge wouldn’t be back yet.

Some supernatural deity must have had Betty’s back that day, because Veronica Lodge was nowhere in sight. The only traces that she’d been in the dorm were the indents her heels had left in the carpet and a faint smell of expensive perfume that would probably have costed Betty her entire biweekly paycheck from when she worked at Pop’s. The dorm seemed smaller without Veronica in it. Perhaps her presence just made everything seem so disproportionately huge and important, like she was. Maybe it was just because Betty had a deep inkling that, without her six inch heels, Veronica Lodge would be one of the smallest girls she’d ever met. Her personality certainly made up for it, though.

Betty showered quickly, throwing her wet hair into a messy bun. In her flannel pajama pants and oversized pullover, her face void of makeup, Betty looked like a child. She looked so much younger, fifteen at the oldest. Briefly, Betty wondered what Veronica looked like when she wasn’t all dolled up. She’d look young too, Betty decided, and her height definitely wouldn’t help.

Back in the dorm, Betty closed the curtains above her bed and dimmed the lights. She flicked on the TV for nothing but background noise, and pulled out her laptop and a set of headphones. She’d been underprepared and caught off guard when it came to Veronica Lodge. It was only 6:37. She was positive she had plenty of time to research the Latina before she got back to the apartment.

After a quick Google search, Veronica’s name and face was everywhere on her computer screen. The girl even had her own Wikipedia page that Betty made sure to pull up and tab to go back to. Betty scanned the headlines briefly, looking for something– _anything_ –on Veronica Lodge and Dylan Slater.

Nothing came up immediately. There were a couple interviews and an article on who Veronica Lodge was romantically involved with for the hot second. Nothing on a serious relationship with YouTube personality Dylan Slater.

Betty adjusted her Google search. _Veronica Lodge and–_ Dylan’s name autofilled in the search bar. Betty hit the enter key.

She was instantly bombarded with links to YouTube videos, an interview for POPSugar, and a photoshoot for Just Jared, Jr. If Betty thought Veronica had been in love with Dylan before, this was cuteness overload. The photoshoot was on a beach somewhere pretty–Montauk, the description said. The two alternated between bikinis and one pieces and coverups with extremely short shorts. Most of the pictures were structured, but there were a few candids that took Betty’s breath away. Well, really, one in particular.

It was of Veronica and Dylan holding hands at the water’s edge. Their backs were facing the camera and their hair cascaded down in waves. The sunset had been captured perfectly, the sky a mixture of pinks and blues and oranges over the ocean. Dylan was completely facing the ocean, but, again, Veronica was looking at her with a mixture of wonder and awe, like _wow this girl and I are together, how the heck did that happen_? She looked so incredibly happy. They both did. It only made Betty wonder more what had happened between the two. What could have possibly torn apart something so pure?

Betty hit the back button and spent an embarrassing amount of time just looking at the photos of the two. Some were professional, some looked professional, but had just been taken by Veronica, and some were just plain silly. In every shot, the two seemed hopelessly in love. “What the hell happened…” Betty grumbled to herself. She wasn’t finding much on their breakup, not a thing. But the journalist inside of her needed to see this through. (Or, at least needed to push her luck until Veronica walked in.)

Finally, Betty got up the courage to click on the YouTube video. _Girlfriend Acquired!_ was the title. The thumbnail was of Dylan Slater holding a pumpkin with the words _Be my Boo?_ painted on it. The girl was balancing the pumpkin on one hand and put one finger to her lips with the other, like it was a big secret. A stab of annoyance shot through Betty. _How unoriginal_ , she thought, but Betty also was sure she couldn’t do any better. (And she wouldn’t want to do any better? She was _straight_.)

The link directed her to YouTube, where Betty suffered through a thirty second commercial. It was getting later, and while she was certain she still had quite a bit of time, it would not be ideal if Veronica walked in on her brand new roommate watching a video about her and her ex-girlfriend. Finally, it started.

Dylan was standing in the shot and Veronica was nowhere to be seen. She was wearing a sweatshirt with a Jack-o-Lantern on the front and her shorts were short enough that Betty couldn’t see them. Just tan legs and a figure lost in a black sweatshirt. She seemed almost soft, all waves and bright smiles. Betty could understand what Veronica saw in Dylan. She was stunning. (Once again, from a strictly objective standpoint. [Betty could almost see Kevin’s disapproving glare.])

“What is up, babes! Happy Halloween and welcome to my annual pumpkin painting video!” she said. She sounded a lot younger than she really was. “As you all know, and some of you don’t, Halloween is my absolute _favorite_ holiday. I’ve loved it since I was a little kid and decorating the pumpkins is my favorite thing to do! Now, I know, I usually do this with my mom, but we’re gonna be switching it up today! Since she’s is out of town, I’ve decided to bring a special guest! Get over here!” Dylan reached out of the camera shot and pulled Veronica in. Veronica, who was laughing, and looked _years_ younger than Betty thought she could ever look.

She wasn’t wearing much makeup, not much at all. Her hair was pulled up in a messy ponytail, some of the strands framing her face. She wore the exact same outfit Dylan was wearing, right down to the invisible short shorts. (Betty tried not to think about her mouth went dry and her face heated up upon seeing her without [visible] pants. She was probably catching a cold.)

“Hi!” said Veronica between laughs, and the smile on Dylan’s face said _everything_.

After seeing all the pictures, Betty had only seen Veronica looking at Dylan like she was her world. The journalist side of believed that Dylan might not have been as attached as Veronica was. Maybe that’s what lead to the break up. Unfortunately, this video was proving otherwise. This was _before_ they were dating, and it was so painfully obvious the two were in love, seeing the way they looked at each other. This just made things harder for Betty. What had caused this goddamn break up?

“Babes, Veronica, Veronica, babes,” said Dylan, pointing to the camera. “Veronica and I met the a couple weeks ago when I made her her coffee at the Starbucks I work at. She fell in love with my espresso shot pulling skills. We’ve hung out every day since. We’re practically soulmates.”

Veronica laughed, a sound that was carefree and music to Betty’s ears. She had to resist the urge to rewind the video and listen again. “ _Practically_ ,” Veronica said, rolling her eyes fondly. Her voice dripped with sarcasm. “At least take me out first.”

Dylan merely grinned. “So we,” she said, dragging out the ‘we’, “are going to paint pumpkins. Same challenge as always, we each have twenty minutes to paint the best picture we can and you guys will be the judges! What do you think, Veronica?”

“I think it sounds like you’re ready to get your ass kicked in this pumpkin painting contest,” she said with a cheeky smile.

The full blown smile on Dylan’s face was enough to make Betty’s cheeks hurt. “You’re on, Lodge.”

The camera blacked and a second later, it returned. Veronica was facing the camera, and you were unable to see her pumpkin. Dylan had her back to the camera momentarily, but when she was painting, you could see what she was doing.

“Okay! So, we have twenty minutes on the clock. You ready, Ronnie?”

“Are you ready to lose, Dylan?” Veronica asked sweetly, batting her eyelashes.

Both girls dissolved into a fit of giggles, and…oh my god, was Veronica _blushing_ ? Betty wished she could be watching anything else. This felt so…so _personal_. She didn’t understand why Dylan would want the world to see something so intimate. Betty almost felt like she was intruding, even though the video was close to two years old and the couple had long broken up.

“Ready?” said Dylan.

“Set…” said Veronica, a smile playing on her lips.

“Paint!” declared Dylan!

The video sped up and a countdown appeared in the bottom right corner of the screen. Veronica was furiously focused on her pumpkin, her face squashed up in concentration. She bit her lip and stuck her tongue out and Betty didn’t think she’d ever seen anything so adorable in her life. (Except for, you know, Archie, the boy she’d had a crush on since grade school. Veronica was adorable, like a cute puppy…yeah. And Archie was adorable in an ‘I wanna date you’ kinda way. [Read: Betty wasn’t trying to convince herself _at all_ .]) Betty barely paid attention to Dylan painting _Be my Boo?_ in the white lettering of the original Scooby-Doo font against the black background.

There was a buzzer noise when the countdown hit zero. “Time’s up!” Dylan said. “Brushes down–Hey, brushes down!” She lunged at Veronica, who was laughing and trying to add finishing touches to her pumpkin. The two wrestled for a second until Dylan freed the brushes from Veronica’s vice grip. When they both faced the camera again, paint had wiped off on Dylan’s sweatshirt and there was a dash of white across Veronica’s forehead.

Dylan laughed. “Ronnie, you got a little…”

Veronica looked at her blankly, “What?”

“Here, lemme–” Dylan leaned over and brushed her thumb against Veronica’s skin, only spreading the paint further. She made a face, “Whoops…”

“Oh, my god, what’d you do?” Veronica squealed, ducking out of the camera shot to get away from Dylan.

Dylan giggled. “Okay, okay, I’m done!” She pulled back, raising her hands in surrender. “I’m sorry, just–just get back in the shot!”

Veronica appeared a second later, the white paint on her forehead, and somehow, one of her cheeks. She was glaring halfheartedly at Dylan, but the admiration in her gaze was almost too much for Betty to handle. “Can I show my pumpkin? I’m gonna show my pumpkin now.”

“By all means.”

Veronica turned and snatched her pumpkin, pointing it at the camera. It was a blob of white paint with two black dots that Betty _assumed_ were eyes. The words _Happy Halloween_ were messily scrawled above. There were a few other blobs, but Betty had no idea what they were. Painting was _not_ Veronica’s forte.

Dylan looked at it and sort of snorted, but tried to cover it up with a cough. Veronica looked incredulous. “What?”

“What…Ronnie, what is that?”

Veronica gasped, feigning offense. She slapped Dylan’s arm. “Oh my god, Dyl, it’s a ghost! And that says _Happy Halloween_ , and that’s a werewolf–” The brown blob. “–and that’s a vampire.” The black and red blob.

“Right, okay....” murmured Dylan.

Veronica gasped again and frowned, pouting. She crossed her arms and pushed out her bottom lip. “Fine, let’s see yours, _Picasso_ ,” she sniped.

“Here it comes…” Betty muttered to herself, and then frowned. She was more invested in this than she should have been. (It was just because she would, after all, be rooming with Veronica for fifteen weeks, and not at all because Betty thought vulnerable Veronica was cute and she was mildly jealous of Dylan. Because Betty liked Archie.)

Dylan grabbed her pumpkin and showed it to Veronica. Veronica, whose lips formed a soft ‘oh’ even though no sound came out of them. Her cheeks were a bright pink and she covered her mouth, laughing a little bit, but when Betty looked at Veronica’s eyes, she could see tears.

“Well? Veronica Lodge, will you be my boo?” Dylan’s eyes were alight with mischief and she was smirking, but when Veronica threw her arms around Dylan’s neck and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, Betty could literally the girl melt into her embrace.

The video screen went dark a moment later and some words popped up: _Sorry for the lack of an outro._

_I got distracted._

_And so did Veronica._

_(If you couldn’t tell, she said yes ;])_

_We hope you enjoyed!!!!!_

And then the video ended. Recommendations popped up, directed Betty to other videos with the two involved. A yoga tutorial, a vlog of the two in downtown Manhattan, and a couple others. Betty couldn’t bring herself to click on another one.

She went back to her Google search and found an interview, a short one. It was supposed to be about her red carpet date with KJ Apa, a B-List New Zealander with big dreams, but it was only about forty-five seconds long. And it was posted a _month_ after March, after her last picture with Dylan Slater. _That_ was what Betty had been looking for. She clicked on it.

The video started right away.

“So!” The interviewer was in his early twenties and looked like he’d come out of a teenage fashion magazine, with his sharp jawline and Superman style blond hair. “Veronica Lodge, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Veronica was, once again, dressed to the nines. _This_ was the Veronica she’d met earlier that day. Calm, cool, pristine makeup, expensive clothes. All flaunt and flair because she could. “Thanks for taking the time to interview me, Zach,” she said. Her tone was flirty, but Betty had an inkling that Veronica was bored. Her voice and her body language were telling two different stories.

“So, you came to KJ’s red carpet premiere as his date for _A Dog’s Purpose_?”

“I did,” she replied shortly.

“You two are cute,” the interviewer, Zach commented, “but it was a bit of a shock. We all thought you were with YouTube personality Dylan Slater?”

Veronica tensed, but only for a moment. Betty braced herself. The look on Veronica’s face was not a kind one.

“I thought this would be about me and KJ?”

“It is, but the viewers are just–”

“The _viewers_ ,” Veronica hissed, “are lucky I’m here at all, giving you a look into _my_ personal life. And it is _my_ life. I dictate what questions I answer and which ones I don’t. And I’m not answering that one.”

“But you and Dylan–”

“Dylan Slater is not a part of my life anymore and she never will be. It was messy. It was hard. It’s over. Just like this interview,” said Veronica. Her tone was cool and clipped, and the moment she vanished from the shot, the video ended.

 _It was messy. It was hard. It’s over_. What on earth happened between those two?

Betty chewed her lip and checked the clock on her laptop. It was only eight pm, but Betty was exhausted. She’d been up since five that morning, prepping with Kevin for the trip, and she’d had a late night before that. Betty Cooper needed sleep.

She closed out of Chrome and shut her laptop, setting it on the desk, then brushing her teeth and climbing into bed after shutting out the lights. The TV still played, lighting up the room softly. Betty decided to leave it on, for when Veronica got back.

_Veronica._

Betty just couldn’t seem to stop thinking about her. About Kevin and how he thought that she had a crush on her. “How ridiculous…” Betty mumbled to herself. “I don’t have a crush on her…so what if she has perfect eyebrows…and she’s completely gorgeous …and she’s sorta super adorable when she’s really focused…but she could also probably kill me with a single look. But I don’t _like_ her. I don’t even know her! Girls can appreciate other girls…right?”

And Betty knew she was right. Cheryl did it all the time. (But rumors had also circulated that Cheryl and Josie had an unspoken summer romance that no one liked to bring up, so maybe she wasn’t the best contender for a comparison.) So _why_ on earth did this feel different? She’d literally had a single conversation with the girl and it hadn’t been exactly friendly. Veronica Lodge was more imposing than anything. But Betty felt like she just really wanted to impress Veronica, to make her happy, to make her smile. _To make her smile like Dylan did_. And it was then that Betty realized she was truly, deeply screwed.

“Oh my god,” Betty said aloud. “I’m attracted to Veronica Lodge.”

And she curled her hands into fists and squeezed.

Oh, _fuck_.


	5. Frat Parties and Cheryl Blossom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Veronica meets the HBIC of Riverdale and goes to a party.
> 
> Kevin likes to remind Veronica of this night in the future, because she proves she loved Betty before even actually loving Betty.
> 
> (Veronica completely agrees and would like to remind everyone that they are soulmates and fate threw them together.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AHA! Finally, folks. Had a rough weekend and a rough...well, it's not going so well. BUT writing is highly therapeutic and I hope y'all enjoy this chapter. It's a bit shorter and I promise we'll get some more quality B/V action in the next one. 
> 
> I'm gonna shamelessly promote my tumblr here: theocarchitect.tumblr.com. Questions, personal or about the story can be directed to there. Or in the comments. About the story. Don't ask me personal shit in the comment section. That'd be weird.
> 
> NOW ENJOY THESE QUALITY THOUGHTS FROM YOUR FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD BISEXUAL, VERONICA LODGE!

 

_***_

 

_Veronica_

 

Veronica _really_ didn’t have any friends from Spence going to NYU. Well, no. She did. Just not ones that mattered. Her ‘best friend’, Katy, wasn’t going to college. And Veronica wasn’t exactly upset about it. Katy and Veronica had only been friends because they were the head bitches. They were the hottest, they were the baddest, they were the richest. They got along like a house on fire.

The only ‘friend’ from Spence that Veronica had was Natalie French, one of the girls who had been on the cheerleading squad. She was pretty and she’d always been nice enough. Veronica couldn’t think of a time she’d ever been outrightly mean to Natalie. (But that wasn’t saying much. Veronica didn’t keep track of the people she’d bullied. And she bullied a lot.) She decided to try her luck after the girl sent her a direct message on Twitter, letting Veronica know she was on the fourteenth floor in Founders Hall, and that she would _love_ her roommate.

So there the three of them sat, on one of the benches at the rally outside. The booths were full of lame groups, like robotics, and a drama club, and the school newspaper. (And then Veronica remembered that Betty was a journalism major and felt a slight twinge of regret for making a joke of it.)

Natalie was right–Veronica _did_ get along with her roommate. She reminded her a lot of Katy. She had fiery red hair to match her fiery personality and dressed like she was on the cover of a couture fashion magazine. Her name was Cheryl Blossom. And she was from Riverdale.

“You must know Betty then,” said Veronica amicably, just trying to make conversation. She hadn’t really been paying attention when Natalie and Cheryl had been talking. She’d been distracted–by none other than Betty Cooper. The picnic table the three sat at had a view of the newspaper booth, and Betty had been talking with the two students who were running it. She looked to be filling out a paper, and Veronica could see her absolutely dazzling smile from where she was. From the back…from the back, Betty kinda looked like Dylan.

Veronica swallowed roughly, and if either girl noticed, they didn’t say anything. To be truthful, Veronica didn’t think Betty was attractive because she looked like Dylan. Veronica just had a type, and that type was usually blondes when it came to girls.

Betty gave off a completely different vibe than Dylan had. Dylan was smooth and confident and flirty and sharp edges. Betty was shy and sweet and innocent, and she was undeniably softer. She seemed like the kind of girl that no matter how many times you screwed up with, she could always forgive you in the end, with time. Veronica wasn’t sure why that thought was so reassuring.

“Ah, yes, Elizabeth Cooper. Riverdale’s very own Joey Potter, right down to the mechanic gig,” said Cheryl, curling her lip.

“Betty fixes cars?” Veronica asked. She wasn’t surprised, not one bit. She’d be lying, though, if she said that the thought of Betty working on a car in short shorts and a greasy tank top wasn’t _slightly_ appealing. (But only slightly because ew, car grease and sweat.)

“Betty fancies herself a professional grease monkey, right down to the dirty coveralls and bandana.”

“Wait, who’s Betty?” Natalie asked, joining the conversation.

“My roommate,” Veronica answered at the same time as Cheryl said, “My archnemesis.”

Cheryl looked ever so slightly surprised. The shock quickly morphed into a mischievous smile. “Elizabeth Cooper? Your roommate? What a wonderful and exciting twist of events! I must tell you all about her.”

“By all means,” Veronica said, gesturing for her to go on.

“Well, I must begin by saying that we’ve never gotten along. If she’s Joey Potter, I’m Abby Morgan.”

“What’s up with the Dawson’s Creek references?” Veronica asked.

Cheryl waved a hand. “I’m binging. Anyway. I’ve never met anyone worse than Betty’s mother, except, perhaps my own maternal figure. She has some unresolved feelings for Archie Andrews–my ex-boyfriend.”

Veronica raised an eyebrow. She didn’t think Betty would be the type to try to steal away lovers.

“They’ve been best friends since they were in diapers. Our relationship has always been strained, but my fling with Archie made it worse, I do believe.”

 _That_ made more sense. “And who is this mysterious Archie Andrews?”

“I’m sure you’ll meet him soon. He’s here, in our building, too. Rooming with Jughead Jones.”

Veronica frowned. “Excuse me? Jughead?”

“His actual name is Forsythe.”

“I’m not sure if I’ve heard of anyone who sounds like more of a charity case.”

“You’d be right,” Cheryl assured. “Back to business. Betty Cooper. Her best friend is Kevin Keller, the token homosexual in Riverdale. He’s about as stereotypical as you get, and rumors flew around about him and one of the linebackers during our senior year, but that’s unimportant. What _is_ important, is that Betty Cooper has never had a romantic relationship. I don’t even think she’s had her first kiss.”

“That doesn’t surprise me,” Veronica said airily. “She’s gorgeous, but she exudes a virginal nature.”

Cheryl raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Gorgeous, Veronica Lodge?”

Veronica scoffed. “Please, I’m not exactly hiding my sexuality.”

“No, no, you misunderstand. I’m well aware of your interest in attractive people as a community. Gender is merely a characteristic, I would know, I share your outlook.” _Riverdale is more gay than I’d thought,_ mused Veronica. “I merely meant that I don’t exactly see Elizabeth Cooper as being your type.”

Veronica shrugged. She really didn’t see it either, to be honest. While she was absolutely radiant, her personality and her stature didn’t add up to Veronica’s usual equation for her conquests. But for some reason, Betty Cooper found herself to be the object of Veronica Lodge’s affections. At least, for a short while.

“The heart wants what it wants.”

Cheryl humphed. “I suppose that’s true enough. I must warn you though, she _is_ an absolute bore. Not a thing about her that’s special. She’s as dull as they get. Straight A’s, school newspaper, student government. If she were a fruit, she’d be an apple.”

Veronica didn’t believe Cheryl for a second. (And she was sort of offended, because she really liked apples.)

When she looked back over to the news booth, Betty was gone, and Veronica found herself slightly disappointed.

“Well, she’s certainly putting up more of a fight than I’ve ever gotten.”

“What do you mean?” Natalie asked curiously.

“I mean, I invited her to breakfast tomorrow. I extended an olive branch in several ways, and dear Elizabeth denied,” Veronica said sourly. She picked up a french fry from her basket and glared at it, like it had personally offended her. After taking a bite, she said, “I was perfectly polite. And this is what I get.”

“Why even waste your time on her?” Cheryl asked innocently. “I mean, you have better options.”

She said that like _You could have me instead_ , and while Veronica was certain she could have much to gain from Cheryl, there was something about Betty. Something about ruining that perfect innocence that was totally brilliant. Betty was untouched. Betty was pure. And ultimately, Betty was Veronica’s for the taking. It would be like taking candy from a baby. At least, that’s what Veronica had thought. After being turned down for brunch at Buvette, she wasn’t so sure.

Veronica shrugged, what she was sure was a wicked gleam in her eyes. “I could have anyone I want, but Elizabeth Cooper is a challenge. And I adore challenges.”

Cheryl seemed a bit miffed by the answer, but she shrugged it off. “Well I can’t blame you for wanting to add an American Girl Doll to your ensemble. Cooper’s quite the collector’s item too.”

Normally, the referral of one of Veronica’s conquests as a ‘collector’s item’ wouldn’t have bothered her, but there was something in the way that Cheryl said it that rubbed the Latina the wrong way. Of course, she’d never let anyone know that.

“I’ve tried every flavor of girl imaginable, in the upper class world. Straight-A darling Betty Cooper is a new breed for me. Who knows? Maybe she’ll finally tame Veronica Lodge,” she joked, her voice dripping sarcasm as she rolled her eyes.

Cheryl and Natalie chuckled. “Well, I’d say good luck, but you won’t need it. Ronnie always gets what she wants,” Natalie added. Cheryl just raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. Veronica merely shrugged and smirked in response because yes, yes she did.

The two girls went back to talking about the boys of Pike, and Veronica, once again, zoned out. She was vaguely aware that the fraternity was hosting a party that night, and Cheryl and Natalie were excited about it. Veronica really didn’t want to go, she wanted to go back to her dorm and break down Betty’s walls a bit more. But she couldn’t say no, not without raising questions. Veronica Lodge never turned down the chance to party and she wasn’t going to start now.

So that night, the three girls went to the frat house. It was your normal frat party. Freshmen girls in skimpy clothing, and senior guys preying on them. Senior girls and guys drinking away their worries and playing beer pong. Pledges for the frat chugging drink after drink.

Cheryl introduced Veronica to Archie, Betty’s childhood crush and supposed ‘love of her life’. She could see the interest in the boy. Archie’s red hair, mahogany eyes, and boyish smile would be enough to suck any girl in. But Veronica wasn’t any girl. And she had her sights set on a blonde angel who was white as snow. But after she’d have her fun with Betty…well, Archie would certainly be on Veronica’s radar. And with the way he looked at her, she knew he’d be easy to fall back upon if things with Betty went south.

Natalie had wandered off earlier in the night with some jockstrap, and Cheryl was dancing sensually with an African American girl with curly hair pulled into a ponytail. Veronica thought she recognized the girl from somewhere…social media, maybe? Either way, neither of them were being very PG. Though, the party they were at was more NC-17 than PG rated anyway, from the amount PDA in the darkened corners of the frat house. Veronica had seen way more human anatomy than she’d bargained before.

The party wasn’t the best Veronica had been to, but it wasn’t the worst either. The alcohol was cheap, the girls were sleazy, and the boys were predatory and sort of creepy. However, there were a couple that stood out in the mix. Archie Andrews, mainly. But he was off limits for reasons Veronica refused to admit to herself. (Read: she didn’t want to upset Betty in anyway and throw off her chances at the blonde beauty.)

But, the douchey senior with dark Superman hair and baby blues was _not_ off limits.

Veronica had had her eye on her him for most of the night. The red solo cup in his hand was never empty. The toothy grin never left his face. And when she’d been dancing, his eyes never left the sway of her hips. So when she sashayed up to him and took his hand, pulling him upstairs, it was child’s play. He was hers, a toy for her to play with until she inevitably got bored and would move on.

So when the Superboy wannabe whom she hadn’t even gotten the name of pushed her into an empty room against the doorframe and began kissing her, Veronica lapsed into autopilot. With guys, it was easy. Little bit of foreplay, little bit of touching, five minutes of mediocre sex (sometimes she got her money’s worth and got _ten_ minutes), and then it was over. She’d had better, certainly, but frat boys were always the same.

Girls were different. They had their turn-ons and their turn-offs, they were trickier, they required stimulation and skill. Skill that Veronica was, luckily, blessed with. Sex with girls was better, in Veronica’s opinion. But she didn’t have that luxury right then.

Because with guys, it was easy.

Veronica let him touch her and kiss her and, eventually, fuck her. Because it was easy. It was even nice, for a change. He was more experienced and pleased her before letting her please him and turn him in for the night. Afterwards, he cleaned up and then pulled Veronica against his chest, falling into a deep slumber. Because sex did that to some guys.

After she was certain he was fast asleep, Veronica pulled herself out of his embrace and dressed before heading back to the party. It had died down, for the most part. Frat boys and sorority girls were passed out drunk on couches and rugs. Some of the seniors were still awake, in their sweatpants and T-shirts, playing beer pong. A couple was snogging in one of the corners of the living room, oblivious to everything around them. Cheryl was fast asleep on the African American girl’s chest, who was also asleep, red solo cup hanging precariously from her free hand. Natalie French was nowhere to be seen. Neither was Archie Andrews. It was well past midnight, nearly one am.

Veronica, her Louboutins in one hand and her cellphone in the other, left the party and headed back to her dorm. The NYU campus was quiet, and the air was brisk. Veronica’s cape was more for style than it was for warmth, but those were the kind of sacrifices she made to look good. It was worth it, she thought.

The streets were brightly lit and the skyline would have been incredible, Veronica was certain–had she been in her penthouse suite like she was _supposed_ to be in. But she didn’t let it bother her. She was going back to her dorm. One she shared with the puzzle that was Betty Cooper, just waiting to be solved.

Honestly, Veronica couldn’t think for a better word to describe Betty than puzzle. She was gorgeous, she was driven, she was intelligent. Sure, she dressed like a dork, but it was sort of endearing and it fit her personality. So why on earth was she so romantically inexperienced? Why hadn’t Archie gone for her? She was a catch! (Or would be, if Veronica did actual relationships.) It didn’t make a lick of sense.

Back at her dorm, Veronica was quiet. It was late and she was certain Betty would be asleep. She swiped their room key and punched in the four digit code before pushing the door open. Luckily, it wasn’t squeaky.

She was right. Betty was fast asleep, curled up in her bed. Her comforter was pushed to the side and she was wrapped up in her sheet. Her blonde hair fanned out on the pillow, and she looked much younger than when Veronica had met her over twelve hours ago. Her face was clean of makeup (and Veronica didn’t think she needed it, seeing her like this). She was devastatingly beautiful, and Veronica was sure that Betty didn’t even realize it. She’d probably broken many a heart in high school when boys discovered she was hopelessly in love with Archie Andrews, and in turn, they would forever be hopelessly in love with her.

The TV was on, softly lighting the room. The volume was low, but Veronica recognized some old rerun of _Keeping Up with the Kardashians_. She wasn’t sure if Betty had fallen asleep watching it or if she’d kept it on for when she got home, but either way Veronica thought of it, it was cute.

She set her heels by the door and peeled off her tight dress and bra, slipping into a sports bra and cheap Soffe shorts that would kill her image if she ever wore them in public. She padded into the bathroom and flicked on the light so she could see. Her lipstick had smeared off at some point in the night (probably on the unnamed Superboy) and her makeup was a little smudged, but other than that, she looked stunning as usual. After taking off her makeup, Veronica always felt smaller, younger. She felt like she was fifteen again, at a sleepover, talking to her friends about boys, and only boys because she didn’t know that it was okay to feel that way about girls yet.

Veronica’s sexuality had always been somewhat of a challenge for her. Growing up, she knew she could have any boy she wanted. Her friends told her so, and her looks and her money secured that fact. But sometimes Veronica didn’t want a boy. Sometimes she wanted a girl. A pretty girl or a softball star or an elegant dancer. And for a long time, Veronica didn’t think that was okay. She thought it was strange and she ignored those feelings.

But in high school, at Spence, she found that she wasn’t the only one. The token softball star was seeing one of the swimmers. There was some dating amongst squadmates in Spence’s cheerleading pyramid. It was different, but it wasn’t unusual.

When Veronica came out to her parents, it was easy. However, the school took it a different way. Veronica was subject of the verbal abuse that she hadn’t previously seen when observing the happy, Sapphic couples. She didn’t realize that by being herself, she was signing up for torment and teasing. It was part of the reason she became the self-proclaimed HBIC of Spence. When Veronica threw her name, money, and attitude around, she learned that no one could stand her way. She shot down the homophobes and anyone that ridiculed her. She even managed to sleep with one or two, just to show them who was boss.

It was empowering, to be large and in charge. That’s why Veronica was the way she was, she supposed. She liked to be powerful. She liked control. So that’s why she hated taking off her expensive clothes and her makeup. Because she felt small again. She felt so horribly middle class and normal. She felt fifteen and embarrassed to be who she was. And some part of that feeling never left. The Lodges’ money and namesake helped, but Veronica would be the first to admit that it wasn’t everything.

But that night, climbing into her bed, Veronica didn’t feel so small. She was finally in college. Her roommate was Betty Cooper, possibly one of the biggest challenges she’d ever gone toe-to-toe with. But Veronica knew she’d have to be careful. She didn’t need another Dylan on her hands. She should have canceled those butterflies when she had the chance.

Of course, she didn’t think Betty Cooper would pose as another Dylan Slater. She was too sweet and unassuming. She wouldn’t make _that_ much of a lasting impact. Veronica drifted to sleep, thinking about ways to woo Betty Cooper straight out of her boy shorts.

And how wrong she would come to be about poor, sweet, unassuming Betty Cooper. How utterly and perfectly and absolutely _wrong_ , because Betty Cooper would come to impact Veronica Lodge for the rest of her life.


	6. Not the Worst Date, But...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Betty and Veronica go to the Buvette, and Veronica's sort of, kind of distracted the entire time. And not by Betty.
> 
> Kevin would like to slap some serious sense into the Latina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long. College sort of hit me like a truck and between that and work and working out and my personal life, I'm drrrroowwwning. Fuck.
> 
> It's also a lil short, apologies. Hope y'all enjoy, though!

***

 

_ Betty _

 

 

When Betty woke up, she was moderately disoriented. And she did  _ not _ want to be awake. So she fell asleep once…twice…three times more, until her phone alarm got too annoying. She was vaguely aware of the fact that she wasn’t in her own bed. The light from outside filtered in through the cracks in the blinds from the window behind her. The TV, which Betty had left on, was off now. She chanced a look at the other bed–where Veronica Lodge was fast asleep. 

Betty had been right in her assumption that Veronica looked younger without makeup. She looked adorable–and with that thought, last night’s realization just about crushed Betty Cooper.

She was attracted to Veronica. Okay, she supposed that was fair. She wasn’t gay–at least she didn’t think. But it  _ was _ Veronica Lodge, she reasoned. Who wouldn’t have a crush on her? (The obvious answer was no one.) So she still liked boys. Boys and Veronica Lodge. No big deal.

Betty could handle this. Betty would be fine. She lived with being in love with Archie since the fourth grade. A little crush was  _ nothing _ . Besides, for all she knew, Veronica would be gone within the semester. She had a feeling that Veronica Lodge had had no intentions of rooming with anyone, and somehow, here they were. After a semester, Veronica Lodge would be gone and the crush would be swept under the rug. Then Betty could get back to what she knew: boys. (Well, she liked to think she knew boys. [Read: Betty had never been in a romantic relationship with anyone and had zero idea what she was doing.])

After checking her phone for the time, Betty rubbed her head. She didn’t want to deal with this. She could reschedule with Kevin…right? She was tired and supremely stressed out about her new lil’ crush. So Betty did what any reasonable college student would. She shot Kevin a text and fell back asleep. 

When Betty woke back up, she looked at her roommate–and her mouth went dry. Veronica was sitting on her bed, wearing nothing but a black sports bra and Soffe shorts. (And her pearls. Had she worn them to bed?) Betty was praying that she didn’t normally sleep like that, because seeing that much smooth, caramelly skin all at once on  _ Veronica Lodge _ was short circuiting her brain, and she was barely awake in the first place. She could  _ not _ handle this. When the Latina saw that Betty was conscious, a large smile broke out on her face. It wasn’t as predatory as it had been the day before. It was actually quite… _ genuine _ . Her makeup was already done, her hair straightened, and her phone dangled in one hand, forgotten. “Good morning, Betty, darling!” she chirped. “How did you sleep?”

And of course Veronica was a morning person. She seemed to be turning out to be everything Betty wasn’t and Betty wishes she could ignore how so very damn  _ attractive _ it was on her. They sort of…complemented each other, in a way. 

Betty, instead of answering Veronica’s question, asked, “What time is it?” At least, she tried. Her face was still half buried in her pillow and her voice came out muffled. It kind of sounded like, “Wet time sit?” 

Veronica giggled– _ giggled _ ! “It’s almost ten. Are you still going to breakfast with Kevin?”

“I cancelled,” Betty mumbled. She groaned as she flopped over on her back and sat up. “How long have you been up?” She looked anywhere  _ but _ at Veronica when she responded. Betty had a very real fear that she might start drooling if Veronica didn’t put on some clothes. It was sort of like that time her and Kevin had spotted Archie through her window after the summer of freshman year, when Archie ‘got hot’. (Kevin’s words, not hers.)

Veronica hopped out of her bed and lifted her arms, stretching. (Read: Betty struggled to not stare at the way the muscles in her shoulders rippled or at the curvature of her hips to her taut stomach. Stupid cheerleaders.) “Since a quarter to nine. It’s our first real day of college, Betts! You can’t sleep the day away! Up! Up!”

Betty’s sleep addled brain didn’t put together the pieces of why Veronica was approaching her until she got to her bedside and put her hands on her sheets.

“Come on.”

“No.” The refusal slipped out of Betty’s mouth before she could stop it. 

“Come  _ on _ , Betty,” Veronica said.

“No.”

Oh, boy. Veronica was much too close. She must have showered because she smelled like a mixture of vanilla and coconut that was absolutely intoxicating and she really had abs and  _ holy shit, was that a tattoo peeking out from under her sports bra _ ? Betty could envision Kevin’s arrogant smirk all too well. So maybe Betty was very,  _ very _ attracted to Veronica Lodge. Not a problem. Fifteen weeks…not an issue at all.

Veronica rolled her eyes in a way that one could only categorize as fondly before grabbing a hold of the blankets on Betty’s bed and yanking them off. 

A rush of cold air hit Betty–and then she was certain she was a red as a tomato. She remembered waking up in the night and taking off her flannel pajama pants. It was warm in the room, and she was too hot. Now she was much too hot again, except out of pure embarrassment.

Betty was so focused on stammering something about pants and scrambling out of bed to find some that she missed the way Veronica swallowed hard when she saw what she was wearing–or lack thereof–and the way her eyes raked over her form like a lion stalking a gazelle. She quickly grabbed some clothes, and padded to the bathroom. She changed into a pair of jean shorts and a long-sleeved thermal shirt before opening back up the door.

“So if you cancelled on Kevin, what’s going on with you this morning?” Veronica asked casually. She was digging around in her closet before she pulled out a black dress that was probably worth more than Betty’s entire wardrobe.

Betty spit into the sink and cleared her throat. “Uh, nothing, actually. Nothing. You wouldn’t have already made plans to take someone else to Buvette, would you?” The blonde was aware of the hope in her voice and chalked it up to just wanting to get off to a good start with her roommate. (Which was true, and would have been the only reason, if Betty also didn’t want to give her roommate butterfly kisses and hold her hand and hug her and make her smile at her like she was her sun.)

Veronica spun around, clutching the black dress. One perfect eyebrow was quirked, and she was beaming. “I have not. Does that mean you’ll be accompanying me?”

Betty shrugged as nonchalantly as she possibly could and walked out of the bathroom. “If you’ll have me.”

The Latina slipped into the bathroom, still smiling brilliantly. “Of course I will, Betty, darling. Oh, you’ll love it. I’ll be out once I change and we can go!” And then the bathroom door was shut.

Betty laced up her Chuck Taylors and grabbed a jacket while she waited for Veronica. She wasn’t quite sure if this was a good idea, but then again, she was going to have to spend time with the girl at some point. The sooner the two became friends, the better. And the sooner she was able to look at Veronica without swooning, the better.

(Except that last part was harder than anticipated.)

When Veronica opened the bathroom door, Betty felt like she’d been punched in the stomach. It wasn’t fair. Why was she so gorgeous? The dress hugged her in all the right places and it was low cut and Betty knew she needed to stop staring, but Veronica hadn’t noticed her ogling yet, so it was fine.

The moment Veronica looked at her, Betty’s eyes snapped up, and she matched Veronica’s wide grin. “Ready, Betts?”

“Uh, yeah, I think so,” she said as she slipped her wallet and room key into her pocket.

Veronica slipped on a pair of flats and grabbed her purse and brown leather jacket. She shut off the TV and the light. “Shall we?”

Betty swallowed and opened the door. She could do this. No problem. It’d be swell. “We shall.”

So Veronica called up Smithers, the kind old gentleman butler, and he drove the two to the Buvette diner. Veronica spoke animatedly, telling Betty how she grew up in New York. She regaled the blonde with tales of her trip to Paris when she had been fourteen. If Betty was being honest, she listened for the first thirty seconds Veronica spoke, before getting caught up in the way her eyes reflected golden in the sun, and the fact that her hair shone like silk, and  _ wow _ . She wasn’t really sure how to handle Veronica Lodge. She’d been expecting ice, but the heiress was surprisingly…warm. Weird.

“And then the waiter brought out our meals, and Daddy said, ‘That’s escargot, not caviar!’” Veronica was smiling brightly as she spoke, and Betty looked at her blankly. The Lodge girl rolled her eyes and said, “That’s usually where people laugh, Betty, darling.”

Betty grinned and chuckled for Veronica benefit, but Veronica tilted her head. “Something on your mind? I’d give anything for a peek into that pretty head of yours.”

Betty, for the most part, didn’t react to the compliment that could have been read into a lot more than she should have. Still, she couldn’t fight the growing blush on her cheeks that she really hoped her makeup covered.

Luckily, she didn’t have to respond. Smithers pulled up to the diner, which was cute and quaint, and judging from the people inside, Betty felt severely underdressed. Of course, Veronica was wearing a dress. It was too late now and she must have looked apprehensive, because Veronica grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the car, waving Smithers on and promising they’d be out within the hour.

“I promise, it’s not as bad as it looks,” Veronica said.

“Bad?” squeaked Betty.

Veronica rolled her eyes again. “You look  _ fine _ . It’s early and I’m with you. The Lodge name pulls weight in the Big Apple, girl, just you watch.”

When Veronica winked at Betty, the blonde tried (and failed) to control the flipping of her stomach at the sight. Stupid crushes on stupid girls she’d met in the last twenty-four hours. She really should have reconsidered the brunch date.  _ Get together _ , Betty corrected herself.  _ Brunch get together _ . 

When the couple ( _ pair, Cooper, we’re a pair _ ) walked in, they didn’t receive any immediate attention. The smell wafting in the air was absolutely delightful though, and Betty wasn’t sure she’d ever smelled anything so delicious. One of the waiters spotted Veronica as he was setting down his tray of food and nearly dropped everything. He apologized profusely after he sat everything down and scurried over to us. He was an attractive young man of about nineteen with blond hair and scruff and baby blues. Betty could tell that he was smitten with Veronica in all of two seconds.

His grin was broad as he grabbed two menus. “Veronica Lodge! It’s been a while. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Veronica offered the waiter the same smile Betty briefly saw when the two had first encountered each other. It was warm, but her gaze was ice. It was predatory, but not in a good way (…if a predatory gaze could be considered good in any other way, Betty supposed). 

“Chance! It  _ is _ Chance, right?” Veronica’s tone matched her smile. Warm, with a dangerous undertone. It reeked of New York authority and privilege. Betty wasn’t sure she liked it (read: she didn’t like it, but she liked Veronica, to some degree).

The waiter deflated slightly, but his smile didn’t waver. “Uh,  _ Chase _ actually.” 

Veronica let loose a fake, high pitched laugh. Ugh. Betty  _ knew _ that laugh. Her and Kevin had dubbed it the  _ hyena laugh _ in eighth grade. She’d heard it several times in high school, and it was sometimes directed at her and Kevin. The laugh that Cheryl and her goons practiced day in and day out when making fun of some freshmen or anyone that caught the backlash of their little games.

“Right, I was so close!” Veronica smiled at Betty, but it was more genuine than the one she’d offered Chase. “Chase, this is Betty, my roommate. She’s never been here before, so I’m showing her around.”

“Never been to the Buvette? That’s a tragedy.” Chase cracked a grin.

“No, girl, she’s never been to  _ New York _ ,” Veronica clarified, wiggling her eyebrows.

Chase whistled. “Well, Betty, you’re in good hands. Veronica knows the ins and outs of this place. And New York itself. Let me get you girls seated.”

“Would you let Talia know I’m here, Chase?” Veronica asked as he led them away.

Once the girls sat down, Chase looked thoroughly disappointed and told Veronica he’d go get the woman named Talia. He disappeared in a sea of people, and Veronica turned her attention back to Betty. “First impressions, B?”

Betty smiled. “It’s gorgeous in here. Quaint, but I like it. Who’s Talia?”

“Talia’s my regular waitress. She’s an old friend of Daddy’s. She’s also like, his age. Nothing to be jealous of.” Veronica smirked, and Betty looked away. Her cheeks were pink for sure, but the low lighting of the Buvette was her savior.

A dark haired woman with crow’s feet wrinkles and a bright smile swept up to their table. “Veronica Lodge! To what do I owe the pleasure?” she asked warmly. 

Veronica stood up and hugged the woman. “Talia! It’s wonderful to see you.”

Betty sat there uncomfortably as the two exchanged pleasantries before Veronica side-eyed her. “Where are my manners?” she exclaimed. “Talia, this is Betty Cooper, my roommate at NYU.”

Talia looked puzzled. “Roommate?”

“Long story. NYU wouldn’t let me stay in a single.” Betty felt a stab of disappointment at Veronica’s annoyed tone. “ _ But _ , as far as roommates go, I could have gotten a lot worse. Betty’s a sweetheart.” Okay, Betty’s spirits may have lifted a bit after that. 

“Well, it’s lovely to meet you, Betty. Can I start you off with drinks?”

Both ordered coffee and water, and Talia left them.

“You were thinking pretty hard back in the car. Penny for your thoughts?” Veronica asked.

“Just taking everything in, I guess,” Betty answered. “I didn’t know what to expect honestly. Especially you being so… _ nice _ .”

Veronica offered a wry smile. “Not  _ all _ of us rich, New York heiresses have ulterior motives, Betty, darling.”

“Apparently not.”

Talia returned with their drinks and Veronica insisted she order for the both of them. Betty let her, and the two lapsed back into easy conversation. While Veronica was an avid talker, she also was a decent listener, for the most part. Sometimes she’d look at her phone while Betty was talking about Riverdale or high school, but it wasn’t often. Still, every time Veronica checked her screen, Betty swallowed and attempted to recapture the Latina’s attention. 

The food was to die for, Betty had to admit. Whatever Veronica had ordered them in French was absolutely delightful and Betty was almost certain the bill would cost more than her truck back in Riverdale.

Twice, some celebrity or other walked in and Veronica would squeal and leave the table to greet them. Betty would watch in awe as Veronica rubbed shoulders with a couple actresses from the CW channel like they were best friends. Which, they probably were, Betty realized. And then Veronica would bring them over, introduce them to Betty, and then ignore Betty until they finished whatever hot topic they’d been discussing. 

It wasn’t that the date was  _ bad _ , per se, but keeping Veronica’s attention was hard. Betty didn’t want to have to fight for it. Friendship wasn’t like that, or it shouldn’t have been. And it wasn’t even a date,  _ obviously _ , seeing as Veronica had barely paid attention to her all morning. Betty didn’t speak up, though. She  _ did _ have to live with Veronica. And really, she didn’t mind. But maybe they just came from two different worlds. They were probably meant to just be roommates and move on. Which would be for the best, in the long scheme of things.

Betty would be able to focus on her journalism and her real friends, and Veronica would be free to live her crazy, socialite life as she was supposed to. It didn’t bother Betty, not too much. (Read: it sort of bothered her a lot more than she wanted to admit.) But they were different people in different places in their life and Betty accepted that.

So why did it bug her so much?

(Read: Betty knew  _ exactly _ why, but it would be a cold day in Hell before she’d admit it.) 


End file.
